An Unlikely Family
by slythermallow
Summary: When Professor McGonagall falls sick Professor Snape reluctantly goes to check on Harry but nothing could prepare him for what he finds and soon he finds himself looking after the teen for the summer. But things only grow more complicated when a traumatised Slytherin and the Weasley's get involved and the past begins to catch up on them all.
1. Chapter 1 - Rescued

**Hello everyone! I'm sure a few of you will notice it's a story I posted before, I decided to take it down to change things, add new parts and really find my passion for writing it again as it was my first ever story. I'm really sorry for vanishing but I had to focus on myself for a few months. Of course I don't own these characters and it doesn't follow the same storyline as the Harry Potter books. I am aware that I have left out the Triwizard Tournament, that Snape lives in Spinners End as well as many other things that I changed but it's just for fun and not meant with any disrespect.**

Harry sat on the cold, hard doorstep of number 4 Privet Drive. He looked at the freshly groomed garden he had spent all day mowing, shaping and cleaning in the summer heat, although it still wasn't to his Uncle Vernon's standards, he closed his eyes at the thought. It was late summer and the breeze was refreshing on his aching face. He rubbed his hand softly across his cheek and looked at the blood 'at least it's bleeding less' he thought to himself as he sighed heavily. He closed his eyes and relived the afternoon's events.

" _I've finished the garden, sir" Harry said politely knocking the kitchen door as he entered. His enormous uncle rose from the table and barged past Harry to inspect the garden. The garden was perfectly mowed with not a strand of grass out of place, the flowers had been watered and weeded and the bushes had been trimmed._

 _The large man made his way back into the house watching Harry venomously "You call this complete!" Uncle Vernon hissed turning back to Harry who stood blankly with his back to the front door. Harry just stared at him blankly, his dark, tired eyes never leaving his uncles. "Answer when spoken to, boy!" he shouted and hit Harry hard across the face. He fell to his knees with a thud and held his face._

" _It is complete, Sir" Harry whispered and instantly regretted it as he felt his uncle pick him up effortlessly and throw him against the wall, he gasped in pain as the doorknob stabbed into his back._

" _You call this complete! Is this a joke? After everything I have done for you, you still can't complete one simple chore? Well I've had enough" His uncle spat kicking Harry several times in the ribs before opening the door and throwing him outside. "Since this garden is complete, you won't mind sleeping in it" His uncle hissed before slamming the door. Harry picked himself up off the hard slabs and dragged his grazed and bruised body to the steps, he held himself tight and thought of Hogwarts, only seven more weeks and he would be back he told himself, he was nearly fourteen now and going into fourth year and he couldn't wait to get back_

A laugh snapped him out of the unpleasant memory and back to the present, it was cold and now raining lightly. He heard his 'family' laughing in the dining room, cutlery clattering off plates and the occasionally hiss of a new bottle of fizzy juice being opened, he realised then how hungry he was. He opened his pocket and found a single piece of ham he had stolen from Dudley earlier when he wasn't looking, he sighed putting it back into his pocket deciding Hedwig might need it more, the poor bird had been locked in her cage on rations all summer.

The door swung open and Uncle Vernon was there standing over them. "Get in and clean up the mess in the kitchen, then go to your room" he spat before grabbing Harry by his already ripped t-shirt and pulling him inside. Harry almost sighed with relief at being out of the cold but remembered not to make any noise unless spoken to. He caught a glimpse of himself in the hallway mirror, his face was bruised and stained with dry blood around his mouth and nose but he didn't complain.

The kitchen was piled high with dirty dishes and the table looked as if it has been occupied by at least 8 toddlers with food and crumbs smeared all over it. He began cleaning realising how long a night it was going to be, the smell of the food made him feel sick he was that hungry. 'Seven more weeks to go' he told himself over and over in his head, his body throbbing from his latest beating.

Two hours later he had finally finished cleaning the kitchen and it looked like a model home once more. He was careful to make sure every last crumb was taken care of to not anger his uncle any further. His uncle came in and almost looked surprised and how much the kitchen was sparkling. "Go to your room, boy" he said and Harry quickly scurried from the room.

Harry sat on his bed as quietly as he could and the amount of pain he was in finally hit him and tears formed in his eyes, he quickly shook it off, crying was a sign of being ungrateful his uncle had told him and he believed it. He took the slice of ham from his pocket and fed it to Hedwig who hooted with excitement.

"What do you think you're doing, boy!?" His uncle roared and Harry saw his red face in the doorway. Uncle Vernon had caught Harry giving Hedwig the ham and he wasn't too happy about it. "First you steal food from us and then you give it to that freaky bird of yours!" he roared entering the room fully.

"I found it on the floor, she was hungry" Harry tried to lie but his uncle was having none of it. He quickly ripped off his belt and Harry knew what was coming, his uncle threw him face first onto the bed and started beating him from his shoulder blades all the way down to the backs of his knees. 'Don't cry, don't cry' Harry told himself over and over in his head at the pain became unbearable. The beating went on for about twenty minutes before his uncle, too tired to throw another hit left Harry exhausted and quivering on the bedroom floor. "You'll spend tonight in the cupboard" he hissed as he left. Harry nodded and dragged himself downstairs.

He sat on the blankets on the cupboard floor. It was dark and cold in the cupboard with only the light from the hallway outlining the shape of the door giving him any form of light. He brought his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around his small, aching body 'just seven weeks' he told himself in his head, too scared to speak even to himself.

. . .

At Hogwarts the next morning Snape arrived through the floo in Dumbledore's office clearly unhappy about being summoned during the holidays, the teachers still weren't due back for a few weeks and he had been enjoying the break. Dumbledore rose from his desk and greeted Severus with a warm smile. Snape instantly threw a glare back at the old man who chuckled. Severus had been intently brewing potions when his house elf disrupted him to go and see Albus.

"Lemon drop" he asked and Snape rolled his eyes wondering if the older wizard even noticed when he offered sweets.

"What is it, Albus?" He asked getting straight to the point sitting down on one of the large seats opposite the older man's desk, he never had time for muggle sweets.

"I need your help, Severus" Albus said sitting next to him and Snape already knew he probably wasn't going to like what the man had to say. "I need you to check on Harry" Albus said with a weak smile, he knew Severus wouldn't be too happy.

Severus scoffed and stood "That's Minerva's job" he said waving his arm in dismissal and Albus sighed.

"I know" he replied calmly. Severus went to interrupt but Dumbledore raised his hand to silence him, Severus instantly scowled but decided to hear his reason "She has taken unwell with muggle flu and needs to recover. Please Severus, you don't have to speak to the boy, he doesn't even have to see you, just make sure the muggles are treating him well" he said.

"So make sure your pampered golden child is being spoiled rotten over the summer holidays?" Snape scoffed and Albus instantly rolled his eyes.

"Well check for signs of you-know-who" Dumbledore said trying to twist his reason to convince Snape to go, he had known It was never going to be easy to get the younger wizard to help.

"You know my position, I don't need to go to Privet Drive to know what the Dark Lord has planned" he said standing up instantly dismissing the conversation.

"Put an old man's mind at rest, Severus?" Dumbledore asked and Snape stopped letting out a small sigh, he knew Dumbledore wasn't going to let it go. The blood wards were strong enough to protect him and Dumbledore didn't feel the need to spy on other children's home lives, so as ridiculous as he found it to check on Potter every week he finally agreed to help.

"I'm sure he's fine, Albus, but I'll check on him when I'm on my way back from London later if it helps you sleep at night" He snapped before heading back to the fireplace.

"Thanks, my boy" Albus smiled but Snape just rolled his eyes and with a puff of green powder he was gone.

. . .

Back at Privet drive Harry was making brunch for his family, smells of bacon, eggs, toast, waffles and freshly brewed tea filled the room, he served them all large helpings of food before taking a small box of dry cereal, he sat on the floor at the other side of the large counter and out of sight ate the little box of cornflakes, this was his breakfast and his lunch.

After he had cleared the dishes and cleaned the kitchen he was instructed to go outside and start work on the back garden, he started by painting the large 6 foot wooden fence. The sun burned against the back of his neck but he didn't complain, he was just happy to be away from his Uncle.

Three hours later he had finished the fence and was sitting having a moments rest when his uncle appeared from the back door. Unknown to Harry Snape had arrived at the front of the house and was quietly listening although he couldn't see the boy he could tell he was there.

"Did I tell you that you could stop boy? Get inside" His uncle hissed and dragged Harry by his collar back into the house slamming the door. Uncle Vernon lashed out at Harry who fell over too exhausted to stay on his feet anymore, this summer had been more torturous than any before as his Uncle grew more paranoid he had to 'beat the magic' out of him to protect his family "get in that cupboard you ungrateful brat!" he spat and Harry almost cried.

"Please, no more cupboard" he whimpered, every time he got put into the cupboard he was growing more and more claustrophobic. He cried out as his uncle threw him against the cupboard wall and slammed the door. Anxiety filled his entire body and after a five minute battle with himself he threw up over his clothes and the floor before breaking down and crying, the small boy couldn't handle it anymore.

. . .

Snape felt satisfied the boy was being give chores and structure and after his uncle had taken him back into the house he began to walk down Privet Drive to find a secluded place to leave. He looked around at all the houses, they were all identical without a hint of individuality, he began to wonder if all the families were are prim and proper as their homes suggested but then he remembered everybody has skeletons in their closet. 'You never really know what's going on behind closed doors' he thought to himself and he felt an uncomfortable feeling he hadn't felt before and he didn't know what was causing it but in that moment something didn't feel right. He began to wonder if anybody had actually checked inside the house to see what conditions the boy was actually living in.

He rolled his eyes knowing he wouldn't be able to relax under he had seen Potter for himself so he made his way back to the house and knocked on the door firmly, Vernon Dudley answered. He suddenly realised he hadn't prepared what he was going to say. "I'm looking for Harry Potter" he said and Vernon looked at him coldly.

"Who?" Vernon asked simply, his tone composed but Severus could sense his anger bubbling inside. Alarm bells started ringing, why would he deny he knew the boy Severus heard him talking to in the garden 10 minutes before. Vernon finally took a good look at Severus noting the robes and scoffed "Oh you're one of them" he hissed "you don't get the boy back for seven weeks now get off my property" he spat defensively.

Vernon tried to slam the door but was stopped by Severus who was a lot stronger. "Show me the boy" he threatened stepping into the house, although Vernon was larger Snape was still a lot taller and stood threateningly over the man. Dudley appeared from the living room and with a high pitched scream he ran upstairs. Snape rolled his eyes 'idiotic muggles' he thought to himself.

"You!" Petunia sneered appearing in the living room door "What are you doing here?" she asked and Snape stepped forward to get a good look at the woman who hadn't changed a bit. She instantly stepped back her eyes widening, she had always feared this particular wizard and she still blamed him for 'corrupting' Lily all those years ago.

"Hello Petunia" he said sarcastically "show me Potter" he snapped and she flinched pointing instinctively at the cupboard door, his eyes widened instantly looking at the cupboard door. "You put him in a cupboard?" he hissed, Snape barged by Vernon who quickly scurried over to his wife and he threw open the door, nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.

Harry had heard the door open and was snapped back to reality realising he was covered in sick and his uncle would be angry he began to panic, he had never truly panicked before but after a summer of torture he didn't think he could take another beating. "NO!" He screamed scrambling towards the wall. "NO! Please stop! I'll stop!" he whimpered crying. "I didn't mean it!" he screamed. Snape looked in horror at the small boy, who today seemed even smaller; he was curled up against the wall covered in blood and sick.

With the boys cries ringing in his ears Snape looked back at Vernon and Petunia who didn't look phased, he threw a curse at them that shot them into the living room and slammed the door behind them, he knew if he had to look at them a moment longer he would end up in Azkaban for doing something he'd regret. "Potter" he whispered touching the boys knee gently and Harry let out one final scream before passing out.

Snape was frozen for a moment as he took a good look at the teen, his mouth open in complete disgust. Finally he wrapped the boy in an old blanket and picked him up quickly, they needed to get out of there so he could treat any injuries. He scowled at how light the boy felt and how bony he was against his considerably larger self. This wasn't the same Potter that left Hogwarts earlier in the year; he had dark circles around his eyes and he was pale. He muttered a few words and they appeared to Snape Manor the boy dangling limply in his arms.

He put Harry on the sofa still wrapped in the blanket. "Dolly!" he shouted and a small house elf appeared.

"Master Snape?" she asked.

"Return to 4 Privet drive and retrieve Potters possessions, the bird too" he said remembering Hedwig must be somewhere, he only hoped the bird hadn't suffered the same neglect and was still alive "Don't get caught" he ordered at the Elf who nodded and vanished, Harry was never going back there.

He got a small basin of warm water and a cloth and moving Harry gently to see his face he began wiping away the dry blood 'how could anyone do this to a child?' he thought to himself but remained silent and composed. Harry stirred at the damp cloth and his eyes flew open. He let out a whine of confusion and fear and instinctively pulled away from Snape.

"Potter" Snape said sternly, he wasn't really too sure what to say, especially to Harry Potter. "Are you okay?" he asked stupidly but Harry didn't reply he just stared back down at his hands. "Answer me" he ordered sternly and Harry nodded quickly trying to ignore the pain radiating through his body, he knew how much Snape hated him and he didn't want to anger him knowing he couldn't fight back.

"You're not okay, Potter" Snape sighed, he cast a diagnostic charm over Harry, no broken bones but a lot of bruises "We need to wash all the blood and dirt off you and then I can treat you better, do you think you can manage that?" he asked and Harry shook his head.

Snape sighed lightly as Harry watched him warily; it was obvious the teen was exhausted but also completely terrified. "I'll do my best not to hurt you" he reassured him and finally Harry nodded, but he still didn't speak, he couldn't speak, his mind was beginning to completely shut down and he didn't have the energy to fight back.

With a wave of his wand Harrys clothes where off and he was left sitting in his boxers, he wrapped his arms around himself and blushed, he was convinced he was dreaming, or maybe in hell but either way he didn't want his hated potions master seeing him like this whether it was real or not. Snape on the other hand didn't seem phased, maybe he's enjoying this Harry thought to himself.

Within half an hour Snape had cleaned up Harry and he was in new, fresh PJS Snape asked one of the house elves to make. "Drink this" Snape said passing him a disgusting looking potion "It will help with the pain" he explained and Harry didn't hesitate he was so thirsty.

"Do you need anything?" Snape asked not entirely sure about what to do next, he sighed as Harry remained completely silent "Potter, you have to answer"

"I want Dumbledore" Harry mumbled.

" _Professor Dumbledore_ is asleep as it's late but you can see him tomorrow" Snape replied, if he woke the older wizard up now he would be here all night keeping the boy awake fussing and right now Potter needed sleep.

"Okay" Harry replied simply hoping Snape was telling the truth.

"Do you need to eat?" Snape asked.

"I'm not hungry, Sir" Harry said simply and Snape nodded.

"I'm going to get changed, I'll be back in a minute" he said softly before briskly leaving the room, the robes he was wearing were covered in Harry's sick and blood and it was about time he put some PJS on anyway, he also needed a moment to just breathe.

He returned a few minutes later, in all black PJS to find the boy fast asleep on the sofa. He let out a sigh, it would have to be him that found the arrogant Potter child yet in more trouble but for once he couldn't blame the boy. He looked around the large living room, although it was comfortable enough he didn't feel happy leaving the boy this far away from his own room. Rolling his eyes he picked up the small boy who didn't even stir and carried him to a spare bedroom on the same hallway as his.

Harry looked tiny in the large four-post double bed, he sunk into the soft pillows as Snape put the covers over him. He looked around the room and scowled, it was green and silver and as much as he despised the boy he didn't want him to feel any more uncomfortable than he clearly already did. With a swish of his wand the room was filled with Gryffindor colours and posters and the small snake shaped teddy at the bottom of the bed turned into a cuddly lion, he picked it up and tucked it in next to Harry, with how small and fragile the boy looked he'd forgotten he was a teenager. 'I'll change it back when I give him to Dumbledore' he thought to himself and he turned the light off and closed the door. He instantly heard the boy whine and stuck his head back into the room to see what the problem was. Harry instantly calmed as the light from the hallway lit his face "The infamous Harry Potter is scared of the dark?" Snape mumbled to himself as he stepped back into the room, with another flick of his wand a small floating light appeared at the bedside table, it changed colours every few seconds, again he closed the door and finally went to his own bed.

. . .

The next morning Harry woke and flinched in pain but strangely he felt rested. He looked around the large, almost familiar room and although he wasn't familiar with his surroundings he was instantly distracted admiring the posters, he and Ron had the same ones in the dorms and he smiled, he couldn't wait to see Ron. He soon realised although the room looked familiar he had no idea where he was. The entirety of yesterday had been a blur and he was almost convinced he had been with Snape, but the Gryffindor room only made him doubt this theory.

There was a tapping on the window and it startled him, he quickly turned to see Hedwig, unbeknown to Harry, Snape had let her out to hunt last night. He opened the window and let her in "Hello Hedwig, you look happy" he smiled at the bird that tweeted happily. He looked out the window at the fields that seemed to go on forever, he wasn't at Hogwarts and he wasn't at Privet Drive.

"Good morning, Potter" Snape said sternly appearing in the doorway, he was back to being his composed, passive aggressive self and Harry's eyes widened with confusion. Harry instantly stilled as he slowly started to remember the night before, Snape _had_ taken him from the Dursley's to some unknown location.

"Professor" Harry whispered stepping back until he was against the wall.

"It's time for breakfast" he finally snapped before turning and walking down the corridor, Harry remained in his room with Hedwig, his uncle told him he wasn't to eat with other people because during the holidays freaks like him should eat alone and stay out of the way. He sat underneath the window and stayed as small as he could and continued to pet the owl.

Snape turned when he couldn't hear the boy following him, he rolled his eyes and stomped back to the room, "Still as disobedient as ever" he grumbled to himself "Potter!" he snapped and the boy jumped and wrapped his arms around himself "it's time for breakfast" he repeated again glaring harshly but Harry didn't reply, he wasn't sure what he was meant to do, his heart was beating so heavily he thought it might explode.

"I don't understand" Harry finally whispered. Harry reached for his wand but it wasn't in his pocket, it was still in his trunk since he couldn't use it during the holidays, he instantly felt more vulnerable "Don't hurt me" he pleaded.

Snape's eyes widened, as much as Potter irritated him he had always vowed to protect the child and he would never hurt him, he had also noticed the boy obviously reaching for his wand to defend himself and he inhaled slightly shocked, no student should ever be that scared of a professor. He scolded himself for not being softer on the boy especially after yesterday. He looked at Harry who was now crying quietly into the lion teddy he had left him with the night before and he felt a pain in his chest from the guilt. Harry Potter was damaged and he wasn't helping.

He dropped his old exterior and sat next to the boy on the floor to Harry's surprise. Harry quickly shuffled away from him. "I'm not trying to hurt you Potter" he said softly as Harry's eyes met his, his bright green eyes looked dead with fear and pain "I'm trying to give you breakfast…" he said waving his arm in defeat and Harry smiled softly at him but didn't move. Snape took a tissue from his pocket and offered it to Harry who wiped the tears from under his eyes.

Snape finally got the boy off the floor and down to the kitchen for breakfast, after feeding him potions for the pain and bruising he directed him to a seat at the table. Harry reluctantly sat at the table and watched as Snape sat opposite him. He poured Harry a large glass of orange juice and put the jug down on the centre of the table. Snape wasn't crazy about orange juice, it was a muggle drink and he thought it was bitter but considering the boys relatives he thought he might prefer this to something else. Harry looked at it, as thirsty as he was he knew this trick too well, his Aunt Petunia was always disguising disgusting liquids as nice drinks and tricking him into drinking them, they once gave him kitchen cleaner and after that he spent two days sleeping and throwing up in the garden. He pushed the glass away to Snape's surprise.

"I thought you would be thirsty?" Snape asked confused, Harry only nodded in agreement and Snape's face grew more confused as Harry stared at the glass of juice. "Do you like orange juice?" Snape prodded and Harry nodded quickly still not looking at him. "Why don't you drink it then?" he sighed and Harry shrugged.

"I'm not that stupid" Harry finally said glaring defensively at the professor, he had quickly reminded himself this was Snape and he was going to have to defend himself.

"What are you babbling about, Potter?" Snape sighed matching Harry's glare, he never was patient. For a moment they both stared at each other waiting for the other to speak.

"I know you've put something bad in it to hurt me" Harry finally said breaking the silence.

"Why would I do that?" Snape asked.

"Freaks like me don't get muggle drinks, we just a glass of water at night" Harry said, his tone quoted that of Vernon Dursley and Snape's face grew angry.

"That bastard" he hissed under his breath and Harry's eyes widened as he jumped out the chair, he instantly regretted being defensive about the orange juice knowing it had probably only made Snape angrier. "No Harry" Snape said quickly in a gentle voice "I'm not mad at you, just your uncle" he said and Harry stopped. "Please sit" he said gesturing to the seat and Harry sat back down. "Let's get one thing clear Harry, I would never do anything to intentionally hurt a child" Snape said coldly and Harry looked at him, his eyes full of questions "even you" Snape finally emphasised answering the boys unspoken question. Harry looked back at the orange juice, he didn't trust Snape and he wasn't convinced. Snape sighed picking up the glass, as much as he hated orange juice he had to prove a point. Quickly he drank enough so that Harry could see the liquid had gone down a few centimetres. "Now do you want the rest or do you want pumpkin juice?" Snape asked thinking he might have more luck with a wizard drink but Harry shook his head and within a second finished the glass of orange juice.

"Don't rush too much it won't run away from you" Snape joked and Harry smiled at him again, he realised in that second how little the boy actually smiled. Within a few minutes the elves brought through bacon, toast, eggs, beans, cereal and some pancakes. "Okay I have to go see Dumbledore, eat as much as you want, for now you can go in the living room, kitchen, library, your bedroom or your bathroom but nowhere else until I tell you what is and isn't safe" he quickly told Harry before leaving through the floo, Harry was almost sad to see him go, he was enjoying the company of another wizard, even if it was Snape.

After a slice of toast, three pieces of bacon and a boiled egg Harry was full, he began clearing the plates when Dolly the house elf stopped him "Master Harry, you don't have to do that" he said offering him a smile.

"Please just call me Harry and I want to help" he said stacking a few plates.

"It is my job to do that" she said but Harry didn't listen, he wasn't used to doing nothing and didn't want to start getting used to it now, if Snape was good enough to give him food he wanted to be as useful as he could. Harry and the Elf worked quietly together clearing the table, Dolly washed the dishes and Harry dried and put them away, he was surprised at how much quicker this was to do with two people instead of one and he smiled to himself.

Once the kitchen was spotless he made his way back to his bedroom and got started on his homework, he had been working on it secretly over the summer and only had one essay on potions to finish, the only reason he wasn't finished it is because he was stuck on it, he couldn't work out why it was 7 and a half frog legs and not 8.

. . .

"Albus!" Snape snapped as he appeared startling the older man.

"Severus what a pleasant surprise" he smiled ignoring the harsh tone. "How is Harry?" he asked.

Snape rolled his eyes angrily "Tell me, Albus, what does Minerva do when she's checking on the boy" he hissed and Albus shrugged.

"She stays out of sight, listens for anything unusual and then leaves, why? What did you do?" Albus asked turning the conversation onto Severus, he was growing concerned, _what had Snape done?_

"What did I do!?" he shouted angrily "I rescued a beaten boy from a cupboard and took him to my house, they've been abusing him, Albus! How has nobody noticed?" Severus said, his glare piercing Dumbledore who was now looking utterly confused.

"Abusing him?" he finally asked in a whisper knowing Severus wasn't one to overreact or joke.

"They've been locking him outside, beating him, mentally torturing him, the boy was too scared to drink orange juice this morning till I convinced him it wasn't poisonous and he's terrified of the dark…god knows why?" Severus said but words failed him as he began to think the unthinkable.

"Where is he now?" Dumbledore asked growing more and more concerned.

"In my kitchen eating a proper meal for the first time since the Hogwarts farewell feast I presume" Snape said almost casually and Dumbledore's eyes grew wide.

"You took him to your home?" he asked almost happily.

"Well I wasn't leaving him with those monsters for another second and it was too late in the day to take him anywhere else" Snape explained.

"I bet he's loving the Slytherin Mansion" Albus said almost jokingly completely forgetting the seriousness of the situation.

"I changed the colours in his room, I'm not that cruel" Severus spat "Now when will I bring him to you?" he asked and Dumbledore looked confused.

"As much as I love the boy Severus he can't stay here, I'll be travelling between here and the ministry from now until school starts preparing for the next term" he explained, Severus knew this was true, he would be signing contracts, appointing new teachers and comforting muggle parents, it was no place for an abused child.

"Where will he go then?" Snape asked concerned.

"He'll have to go back…the blood bond is what protects him" Albus explained sighing heavily.

Snape clenched his eyes in horror "They're killing him Albus!" he shouted making the old man jump.

"Then I'll have to contact the ministry" he replied.

"He needs people he's familiar with right now, Albus, not officials that are only interest in the scar on his forehead" Snape replied bitterly "he's completely terrified of people".

"Well who do you suggest powerful enough to keep him safe?" Dumbledore prodded growing irritated. "I'm unsuitable and Minerva is sick…that leaves you" Dumbledore said and his face broke into a smile, his intentions were now clearly written all over his face.

Snape shook his head "I am not looking after the Potter child" he said sternly and Albus shook his head.

"He needs you" he said and Snape looked down.

"I'm not having James' son running ramped all over my home" he said dismissing the ideas.

"You don't have to, but you can have Lily's little one to keep you company" Dumbledore said twisting his words against him and Snape's eyes grew wide with pain. "You vowed to protect him, this is your chance" he said.

"Only for the summer" Snape spat and Dumbledore smiled.

"Lily would be so proud of you" he said as Snape began to walk towards the floo.

"Come over as soon as you can, he needs your reassurance right now" Snape said simply before leaving.

. . .

Snape entered the large kitchen to find it totally spotless and the boy not in sight, he checked the living room but it looked untouched. He sighed 'well done, Snape, you've left the Potter child loose in your home he could be anywhere' he scolded himself as he began looking for the boy. He swung the door open and walked into the boy's room. He found Harry slightly startled lying on the bedroom floor surrounded by textbooks and parchments.

"Hello, Sir" Harry said quietly, almost to himself.

"What are you doing?" Snape asked looking confused, he was half expecting Harry to have set the house on fire or trashed his room. Harry sat up quickly and started looking around the room for a place to hide if he needed it.

"Just homework, Sir" he replied and to his confusion Snape smiled, he didn't think Potter would even remember he had homework.

"I'm surprised you've started it this early, there's still seven weeks left, Potter" he said raising a brow.

"I'm not starting it, Sir, I'm just proof reading it and finishing one essay" he said as confusion echoed throughout his face as he looked back at the potions text book.

"Are you stuck?" Snape asked noticing the slightly glare directed at the potions textbook, it looked well used which made him smile to himself, at least Potter was trying even if he was useless at potions.

"No" Harry quickly said shaking his head, he didn't want to look stupid in front of Snape, he was still too emotionally drained to handle a Snape insult.

"It's okay to be stuck" Snape said sitting on the floor next to him, Harry looked at him with confusion, his much feared potions master was sitting on his bedroom floor next to him, except this wasn't his bedroom, it was his Professors spare room but he was more than comfortable in it and he began to feel sick, he would probably have to go back to the Dursleys soon then there was no chance of finishing this essay. Snape could tell by the boy's face he was completely overwhelmed with the past twenty-four hours and he stayed quiet allowing him to process his thoughts.

"I don't understand why it's 7 and a half frog legs" he whispered so quietly Snape had to strain to hear him, he found Harry again looking at his hands and realised it must be an anxiety thing.

"If you use 8 it will interact too heavily with the caterpillars and cause the potion not to reach the right temperature" Severus explained and Harry looked into his eyes, he didn't look mad or disappointed, he looked almost content to teach.

"Because of the different types of acid, they react and make it too hot?" Harry asked and Snape smiled and nodded "And then it will explode" he added and Snape laughed lightly.

"Not quite explode but it could get messy" he said as he watched Harry continue to write his essay.

For the next half hour they both sat on the bedroom floor side by side as Harry finished his potions essay while Severus took it upon himself to check over the boys other homework and answer the occasional potion related question. Harry grew slightly more talkative when he realised he wasn't going to be punished for asking questions

and Snape was surprised the boy knew more about potions than he'd let on.

"Well Mr Potter, your homework is up to scratch I can't find any immediate corrections" he praised and Harry smiled. Harry's homework was perfectly printed and even his punctuation was perfect, he must have put a lot of time and thought into it.

"Great!" Harry said excitedly finishing his essay.

"Why is it done so soon?" Snape asked and Harry looked down.

"I can't fly at all during the summer and it means while everyone is correcting their messy, rushed homework I can practice for quidditch and catch up" he said feeling stupid but Snape smiled at him.

"Well you've given yourself plenty time to practice this summer" Snape said again standing up and stretching, his body had become stiff from sitting on the ground, Harry was confused but didn't say anything, he just assumed the Professor hadn't been listening because he'd grown bored of him, _he couldn't fly at Privet Drive._

. . .

Soon after Snape left to go mark some essays while Harry stayed in his room. He was finally taking in how big his room was. It had a large 4 post bed with Gryffindor colours and more pillows than he'd ever seen before in his life. He had a huge fireplace that Snape had lit this morning and it was still quietly burning and above it there was a large painting of a snowy owl – just like Hedwig. The room had dark oak floors with a huge red rug that covered a large middle section of the room. He had a large walk in wardrobe that he hadn't been inside yet, his bathroom and three huge windows that looked out onto acres of grass and trees, large red curtains draped down the sides of the windows. He also had a large chandelier that he didn't like very much, mainly because he was scared it was going to fall off and squish him. He opened his case and began properly unpacking, he took a photo of him, Ron and Hermione and put it on his bedside table along with the photo of his parents by the water fountain "I miss you guys" he whispered at both the photos. He folded his few pairs of jeans and PJS into the large chest of drawers and then put his homework down at his large desk, although he did prefer doing his homework on the floor it wasn't safe to keep it there.

Finally he looked towards the large wardrobe and back at his robes and shirts, they shouldn't be folded and should be hung up but he couldn't face going into the tight space. He left them in a folded pile by the cupboard door and retreated to looking out the window, unpacking properly didn't matter too much because he knew he'd be sent back to the Dursley's soon enough, he didn't truly know why he had even bothered in the first place.

Harry was quickly lost in his own thoughts, he was surprised at how huge Snape Manor was and how elegant it was, he always thought Snape just stayed in the dungeons all year round thinking up insults to bark at students and avoiding people. He smiled at how wrong he was, the man hadn't thrown an insult at him since he got here and his home was beautiful, but he also knew Snape despised him and this wouldn't last forever, he just felt bad for Harry because of what he saw but that would soon fade when the bruises did.

He crawled onto his bed and held the photo of his parents, he missed them so deeply that it hurt and a single tear rolled down his cheek. He just wanted somebody to help him feel safe. Snape appeared in the doorway and watched the oblivious boy staring at the photo of his parents, he looked around to see the boy had started unpacking but had given up, judging by the pile by the cupboard door.

"Get bored?" he asked pointing at the clothes on the floor, Harry jumped and dropped the photo before climbing to his feet.

"No…I'm sorry, I didn't get bored. I just…" he said but he couldn't think of an excuse, he looked down at his hands and shut down.

"Well why don't you finish putting the clothes away?" Snape asked gently, confused by the boys overreaction.

"I forgot…" he mumbled still not looking at him.

"It's okay, do it now" Snape insisted whilst moving across the room to check on the fire.

Harry looked at him with fear, he was convinced the second he went into the cupboard the Potions Master was going to slam it shut and leave him there. He quickly remembered a time he'd refused to get into the cupboard Uncle Vernon had beat him as a punishment before he ended up in the cupboard anyway. He sighed to himself before picking up the clothes but he still couldn't bring himself to enter the cupboard.

"Please don't make me" he pleaded looking right into Snape's eyes.

"Make you do what?" Snape asked confused.

"Go in there" he cried pointing at the cupboard, he now had tears streaming down his face.

"Potter it's just a clothes cupboard" Snape said rolling his eyes lightly. "What's the problem?"

"I don't want to be locked in, please" he begged.

"Why would I lock you in?" Snape asked.

"For not putting my clothes away, I didn't mean to be bad!" he said through sobs.

"I'm not going to lock you in and you weren't bad" Snape reassured him, he quickly realised cupboards were a twisted punishment back at the Dursley's as he quickly remembered finding Harry locked under the stairs, he didn't realise the damage it had done. He took half of the clothes from Harry and walked into the cupboard. Harry watched with wide eyes as his potions master started hanging up his clothes. "I could do with some help" Snape encouraged softly and Harry cautiously made his way into the cupboard passing the clothes over to Snape who kept hanging them. Harry watched as the man confidently placed everything neatly without a hint of fear. Harry hadn't noticed but he'd grabbed the side of Snape's robes for comfort. Snape on the other hand noticed right away but didn't reject the small boy, he just pretended he hadn't noticed and continued hanging up the clothes. It was a weird sensation being someone's comfort instead of the thing they feared most.

Within a few minutes Snape had finished and ushered Harry out of the cupboard, he looked relieved and almost proud of himself. Snape smiled briefly but then stopped himself remembering this was Harry Potter.

. . .

Later on they were both sat at the table eating dinner. Dolly had prepared roast chicken, with Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and the best gravy Harry had ever tasted. To Snape's surprise he finished everything on his plate. It was a wonder the small boy could eat so much. "What are you doing?" Snape asked as Harry began helping Dolly clear the table.

"We do this together" Harry explained smiling at the elf who offered Severus a shrug, they had picked up the same routine at lunch time as well. Harry had settled in fairly quickly in the past few hours as he grew comfortable with Snape and he was really fond of Dolly. He tried to explain to Harry he didn't have to clean up but Harry wouldn't listen, in the end Severus just rolled his eyes and left them to it. He could hear them both laughing from the living room where he had retreated to the large sofa with a book. He reflected on the day, Potter was extremely obedient and polite, not what he was expecting at all, listening to the boy talk away to the elf he began to think he could get used to the boys company, the Manor was huge and it was nice that for once it seemed slightly full, he quickly realised he was going soft and shook the thoughts from his head and started reading.

Harry was happily cleaning with Dolly, he had quickly grown comfortable with Snape and surprisingly he didn't feel threatened, his homework was finished and Snape had told him it was to a very high standard so he was content knowing he could fly as soon as he got back to school without any issues. He began to wonder when he would be sent back to the Dursleys and felt slightly sick, especially after how patient Snape was over the cupboard he knew the man wouldn't hurt him. He couldn't explain why but he wanted to just be near Snape, it might have been because he saved him but he just felt safer in the same room as him. He wandered quietly into the living room. The older man was flicking through the plain black book with his legs casually crossed. Snape finally noticed Harry and put the book down, he looked at Harry confused. "Aren't you coming in?" he finally asked and Harry smiled the same innocent smile he had smiled earlier and Snape smiled lightly. To his surprise Harry rushed over and sat right next to him on the same sofa.

"What are you reading?" he asked pointing at the book.

"Werewolves by Day" Snape said opening the book so Harry could see and to his surprise the boy who wasn't keen on people in his space moved closer to see.

"What's it about?" Harry asked and for a second Snape instinctively went to call Harry ignorant, it was obviously about werewolves and how to spot them during the day but he stopped himself last minute, the boy was looking at the book in awe and he realised for the first time the look was one of innocence and not ignorance and suddenly he felt guilty for all the times he'd cursed at him.

"Well it's about werewolves" he still said sarcastically but he made sure the boy knew he was joking.

"No I mean more specifically" Harry asked obviously curious.

"It's a study on ways to spot a werewolf when they're not in werewolf form but are just normal human beings"

"Like Professor Lupin?" Harry asked curiously .

"Yes" Snape nodded gesturing to some of the pictures in the book. Harry smiled, 'Professor Snape reading a picture book' he thought to himself and Snape clicked almost instantly at why Harry was smiling "It's a book you will all be studying this coming year in more detail, it's why I'm reading it" he said and Harry nodded in understanding.

"Can I read it with you?" Harry asked, his huge green eyes meeting Snape's. He had the same questioning and curious look in his eyes Lily had years ago when Snape would show her things from the Wizarding World, his heart clenched as he began to realise how much this boy was like Lily. Snape nodded and the boy sat next to him, his feet up to his chest and Snape began to read out loud while Harry listened.

Harry smiled happily to himself as he continued to listen to Snape intently, his eyes started watering and he quickly began blinking and panicking 'crying is a sign of ungratefulness' he told himself over and over in his head but it worked him up even more. Snape noticed something was wrong and stopped reading. "What is it, Potter? Do you need another pain potion?" He asked.

"No…I'm sorry" Harry begged wiping the tears away quickly.

"For what?" Snape asked confused and Harry shook his head.

"Crying…I'm not ungrateful I promise…I'm really grateful…that's why I'm crying" Harry tried to explain but Snape's eyes grew more concerned. "Uncle Vernon says if you cry it means you're ungrateful and you deserve a beating" he finally whispered explaining himself and Snape grew angry, he clenched his fist without noticing and Harry gasped.

"No I'm not mad at you" he said reassuringly "I'm mad at your uncle. Harry if you want to cry you are more than welcome to cry, of course I would like it if you came and got me or someone else, I don't like the thought of you crying on your own" he reassured realising how often this boy has probably sobbed silently, terrified. Harry just nodded but didn't speak, Snape finally wiped the tears away.

"Why are you grateful?" he asked softly, hoping the slight change in subject would help. It made Harry cry more, now he realised he wasn't going to be hit he cried more with relief and upset and confusion and it got to a point he didn't even know why he was crying. "It's okay" Snape said simply wondering if he should comfort the boy further

"I'm grateful because nobody had ever read to me before and I liked it" he finally said answering Snape's earlier question.

"That's not true" Snape said and Harry looked up at him confused. "You won't remember it but your mum used to read to you all the time. One day we were finishing an order meeting and your mum was outside with you, you were about 6 months old and she was telling you a muggle story, one her parents told her and you looked so content, you loved that story" he said softly and Harry nodded, he loved hearing stories of his parents.

"What was the story?" Harry asked.

"It's a kids story I doubt you'd find it interesting now" Snape said.

"If it's to do with my parents I'm interested" Harry said and Snape could tell by the look in the boys' eyes he really was interested and this was more than just a story, it was a part of his life that had been cruelly taken for him. His thoughts turned to Lily and he knew how much she would want him to tell Harry.

"Once upon a time…" he started, he then smiled to himself realising nobody would ever believe him if he told them he'd told the Potter boy a bed time story. "Once upon a time, there were three little pigs, they were finally being sent out to find their own fortunes and build their own homes. They all excitedly decided they wanted to build their own homes and they began gathering materials. The first pig was lazy and didn't want to carry anything heavy so he decided to build his house from straw. Later that day a wolf came along 'Little pig let me in'" Snape said almost getting lost in the memories of Lily himself "Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin" Snape continued looking down at the content boy. "The house blew down and the wolf ate the little pig. Further down the path the two other pigs continued, the second pig found a man carrying sticks and decided this would do, he quickly built his house and settled inside. Later that night, again the Wolf appeared and when the pig wouldn't let him in he blew the house down and gobbled up the little pig. The third pig walked for miles and miles until he finally reached the man selling bricks, he spent days building his large brick house and cosied up inside for the night. Of course, the Wolf appeared but no matter how much he huffed and puffed he couldn't blow the house down and the pig lived happily ever after." He finished and looked down at the boy who was fast asleep.

He scooped the boy up gently and carried him upstairs to his room. "I hope I did the story justice, Lily" he whispered to himself as he placed the teen on the bed for a second time.

 **Okay so this is my first ever story! I've been adding to it for quite a while and I'm right now breaking it down into chapters, this is chapter 1! I hope you enjoyed it and will stick around for the other chapters where a few more characters get added to the story including Hermione, Ron and Draco!**

 **Please review and have a nice day!**

 **And of course I don't own these characters**


	2. Chapter 2 - A Treehouse of Memories

Harry woke comfortably the next morning in his large bed. He quickly hopped out and made his bed before jumping into the shower. His bruises were slowly fading and surprisingly he was feeling a lot safer now, he sighed wondering when he would have to go home, he knew he couldn't stay here forever and it was probably only until he had healed.

He walked into the kitchen to find Snape already up and reading the morning paper. He noticed Harry and put the paper down.

"Sir" Harry asked looking down at his hands "When am I going back to the Dursleys?" Harry asked not daring to look up. Snape's eyes grew wide with pain for the boy as he got up from the table and kneeled down beside him.

"Do you want to go back?" He asked Harry trying to hide the fear in his voice, he was growing to enjoy the boys company and he knew he wouldn't survive at his relatives.

"I don't want to" Harry said honestly.

"Well then you won't be"

"Where am I going then?" Harry asked concerned, he didn't want to live with strangers, as much as he hated it he knew people would be lining up to care for the-boy-who-lived.

"Well if you want you can stay here with me, you've settled in" Snape offered and Harry looked up at him.

"Really?" he asked shocked and Snape nodded, before he knew what hit him the boy had tackled him into a hug, instinctively he wrapped his arms gently around the boys small frame, still aware he was bruised. "Thank you thank you!" Harry almost shouted and Snape smiled.

"You're welcome, Harry" Snape said.

"I like it when you call me Harry" he said smiling finally letting the Professor go. "Wait!" Harry said after a very abrupt moment of thought "This means I can fly doesn't it? Because I'm staying here? That's what you meant the other day" he said hugging Snape again, Snape was quite confused but hugged him back anyway.

"I want to head to Diagon Alley today to get your eyes tested and then to muggle London to get you a new wardrobe" Snape said changing the subject slightly, now the boy was going to be his responsibility he wanted to give the boy back everything he had been refused.

"My eyes tested?" Harry repeated and Snape instantly noted the worry in the boys' tone.

"It doesn't hurt" Snape reassured him and Harry nodded lightly.

"Won't people question us being out together?" Harry asked slightly confused.

"Let them, we don't have to answer" Snape replied dryly "is there anywhere else you want to go in muggle London?" he asked but Harry shook his head, he was actually quite worried about going to such a crowded area and he was happy to do whatever the potions master suggested.

"Well we will leave after lunch" Snape replied with a small smile.

. . .

After lunch Snape and Harry took the floo to The Leaky Couldran and they were instantly met with looks of confusion, Harry looked up at the potions master and realised the man didn't seem phased so he copied and pretended not to notice the strange looks they were receiving. Snape looked down at Harry when he noticed Harry was watching him out of his peripheral vision, he was intrigued to see how the boy would behave in a place he was well known, he knew Harry wasn't the arrogant boy he once thought he was behind closed doors but he couldn't help but wonder if that was going to change in a place he had a reputation.

"'Arry!" a voice called and Harry's face instantly broke into a smile.

"Hagrid!" Harry shouted and before Snape had a chance to warn the boy not to run off Harry had ran over to the opposite side of the room and was greeting the giant with a warm hug, Snape quickly followed but remained quiet.

"What are you doing 'ere?" Hagrid asked clearly surprised to see the boy.

"I'm shopping" Harry grinned.

"I heard about yer new living arrangements" Hagrid said looking up at the potions master briefly "are you coping?" he asked and Harry nodded. Snape rolled his eyes but let the judgemental question slide without a sarcastic comeback, he was going to have to do a bit of convincing before the other people that cared for Harry were convinced this was a good idea.

"I'm having a good summer now" Harry said smiling up at Snape who offered him a warm smile in return, Hagrid grinned noticing Harry seemed relaxed and happy enough with the professor.

"We better get going, we have an appointment at the eye doctor at half past" Snape said putting a hand on Harry's shoulder. Hagrid offered them a small nod and Snape could tell the man was disappointed he didn't have more time to catch up with Harry "but I'm sure Harry will pop by to see Fang over the summer" Snape said to try and lighten the atmosphere and Hagrid instantly smiled

"You have a good day now" Hagrid said happily as they left the pub.

Quickly Harry and Snape made their way towards the eye doctors, Harry could feel his stomach tighten at the idea of being examined, he had never really liked people in his space and he had never had his eyes tested before. Aunt Petunia had always just bought his glasses in the supermarket to save money but Harry didn't mind, he didn't want people poking at his eyes.

"Are you okay?" Snape asked when he noticed the Harry seemed rather uncomfortable as they entered the reception. Harry nodded but didn't reply and Snape sighed lightly "it won't hurt, I promise" Snape said softly and Harry nodded but still looked doubtful "I don't break promises" he added.

"Mr Potter" a doctor called and Harry instantly flinched and stood lightly behind the potions master.

"Come on, Harry" Snape said casually hoping if he relaxed Harry would relax.

"So it says in your notes this is your first ever eye examination" the doctor said and Harry nodded as he watched the doctor flick through a folder. The doctor, or as Snape seemed to be calling him a 'healer' was a large chubby man with kind eyes, he flicked through the folder cheerfully before getting to his feet. "Now, Harry, I need you to sit in this seat for me" he said gesturing towards the examination chair.

"Okay" Harry said quietly before making his way over to the chair.

"Are you nervous, Harry?" the healer asked but Harry shook his head.

"He's not sure what to expect" Snape said speaking for him; he frowned at himself the second he noticed he was doing so.

"Well I'm going to perform a few spells to check the health of your eyes and then ask you to read a few numbers" he said simply.

"Is that it?" Harry said looking slightly more relaxed and the healer nodded.

Within ten minutes Harry had completed his eye examination and was back in the reception looking at the different frames, Snape had told him to pick a new one but he liked the one he already had and was currently on a mission to find one as similar as possible.

"Professor" the healer said quietly calling Snape back. "I would like to discuss something I found during the examination" he said pulling out Harry's notes once more. Snape nodded but remained quiet, he already had a rough idea about what the healer might find and sadly he was probably going to confirm it. "It seems a lot of Harry's vision problems are due to several severe blows to the head and then the lack of proper glasses" he explained "his need for glasses now could have been prevented if the boy had been given a proper prescription from a young age"

"Healer" Snape said but stopped not knowing if he really wanted to ask the next question "can you tell through your examinations at what age he received his first head injury?" he asked and the healer nodded.

"Roughly three years old" he said and Snape instantly pinched the bridge of his nose, if it wouldn't land him in Azkaban he would kill Vernon Dursley right now.

"I do need to ask how he received the injuries" the healer said with a slightly more serious tone.

"It was due to his previous guardian, he has recently been removed from them and placed in my care" Snape replied "if you have any further questions, speak to Dumbledore" he said not wanting to go into too much detail with a civilian.

Harry quickly made his way back over to the professor grinning widely "I found some" he said holding out the frame and Snape raised a brow at the frame in the boys hand, it was almost identical to the ones he was currently wearing.

"Are you sure you don't want to try something new?" Snape suggested but Harry instantly shook his head, he liked the fact these glasses still made him look like him, there were already too many other changes to adjust to.

"The new glasses will be ready by 5 this evening" the healer replied taking the frame from Harry.

"We will pick them up then" Snape said before thanking the healer and leading Harry out of the shop.

Harry walked happily beside the potions master as they made their way towards the entrance for muggle London, Harry looked up the see Snape was striding confidently and Harry only hoped one day he could walk with that much confidence and mean it, it seemed Snape was scared of nothing.

"It's Harry Potter!" a voice called out.

"Look it's him!"

"Harry Potter!"

Suddenly a group of people were swarmed around them both "can we see the scar?" the same young girl called out and Harry subconsciously flattened his hair further against his forehead.

"Have you heard from you-know-who?" another person asked and Harry flinched at the camera clicking.

Snape glared at the group of people and they instantly took a step back, he noticed Harry had subconsciously stood behind him to hide from the group of people and Snape noticed further the boy didn't enjoy the attention he had gained from the scar, but rather he hated it. "I suggest you all leave Mr Potter alone to go about his day" Snape warned and they all nodded and began walking away still mumbling about 'the-boy-who-lived'

"Thanks" Harry said as they made their way down Diagon Alley.

"Does that happen often?" Snape asked curiously.

"Not as much now" Harry shrugged "I guess most people just got used to the fact I'm here but some people…" Harry said unable to finish the sentence.

"Are idiots?" Snape smirked raising a brow and Harry laughed lightly.

Soon after they both made their way into a muggle clothes shop and Harry was happily looking through different t-shirts, he put a plain black t-shirt and a white and black baseball style t-shirt into the basket before turning back to Snape.

"You'll need more than that" Snape said.

"No I'm okay" Harry said smiling, he wasn't keen on the idea of spending lots of money on clothes.

"What about this?" Snape said picking out a dark red t-shirt.

"I don't like it" Harry said shaking his head.

"What's wrong with it?" Snape asked confused, it was a perfectly good red t-shirt.

"I just don't like it" Harry repeated and Snape rolled his eyes at the teenage antics "maybe you should get it" Harry said grinning.

"No" Snape said simply.

"Why? You need more colour" Harry said and Severus raised a brow, for a second Harry wondered if he had overstepped the mark but he could tell by the small smirk on Snape' face the man wasn't fazed "you only wear black" Harry said.

"I like black" Snape clarified.

"Well I think you should try a different colour" Harry said and Snape rolled his eyes and threw the t-shirt in the cart knowing fine well he would never be seen dead in it.

"Find more clothes" he ordered changing the subject and Harry could tell by his tone the man wasn't to be argued with any longer, Harry nodded and put a few more t-shirts into the basket.

"Look at these!" Harry said holding up a pair of converse "Hermione has ones like these but pink" he added and Snape nodded.

"You can get them as long as you wear them" he said but Harry shook his head, converse were expensive "what's wrong with them?" Snape said rolling his eyes.

"Nothing they just seem expensive for shoes" he shrugged and Severus smiled appreciating the boys understanding for money, it was already more advanced than James Potter's had been as an adult.

"Sometimes it's okay to spend money and treat yourself" Snape explained "as long as it doesn't break the bank and is within reason" he said and Harry smiled lightly.

Half an hour later Harry had picked out two pairs of blue jeans, a pair of black jeans, two blue hoodies, a winter coat and some new socks and underwear. Snape had grown bored and was reading a pocket sized potions book while Harry tried on the clothes.

"Are you still there?" Harry shouted out from the stall when he realised the potions master had been silent for several minutes, quickly he grew anxious at the idea of being alone in such an unfamiliar place, _what if Snape had abandoned him in muggle London_.

"No" Snape replied sarcastically and Harry giggled lightly and quickly put all of the clothes back in the basket before stepping out of the stall. "Everything fit?" Snape asked and Harry nodded happily, he couldn't wait to wear off of the new clothes and he was already creating outfits in his head. "I was thinking for dinner we should stay in muggle London so you get peace from the idiots" Snape said dryly and Harry nodded thankful Snape had thought of that.

"That sounds good" he said happily, he didn't really mind where they ate, especially after everything the professor had done for him today.

"Any suggestions?" Snape asked, he was very well acquainted with muggle London but he wanted to know what Harry liked.

"KFC?" Harry suggested.

"No" Snape said sternly.

"I'm joking" Harry replied "I don't really know of anywhere" he said awkwardly "I've never eaten out before, the Dursley's would never bring me" he said simply.

Snape sighed again at how much his relatives had taken from him without Harry even realising "well we can't have KFC being the first thing you eat because you'll never want to eat out again" he smirked and Harry smiled.

Eventually they found a small restaurant near Diagon Alley and Harry relaxed at how quiet and cosy the restaurant was, there were only a few other people and it smelt amazing. He looked through the menu happily.

"Drinks?" a young girl asked, Harry looked up to see her holding a small notebook and a pen.

"Just a glass of soda water and lime, please" Severus said simply and the girl quickly noted down his order.

"And yourself?" she asked smiling at Harry widely.

"Just water, please" Harry said returning her smile. He quickly noticed Snape was frowning at him and he instantly looked down wondering what he had done wrong. The server nodded and made her way towards the bar.

"Water?" Snape asked.

"Yeah?" Harry replied.

"Did you order that because it's free?" Snape asked wondering if the boy was being over cautious with money again.

"It's free?" Harry asked slightly confused and Snape sighed, for a boy that had lived in both the muggle and wizarding world he didn't know much about anything "sorry, sir" Harry said looking down.

"You don't need to be sorry, I just get annoyed at how much the muggles have taken from you without you realising" he explained and Harry nodded unsure of what the professor was talking about "you have done absolutely nothing wrong"

"Can I take your food orders?" the girl said distracting them both as she put their drinks down on the table.

"Yes, can I have the chicken salad please" Snape said before turning to Harry to see what he would order.

"Can I have please have the mac 'n cheese?" Harry asked and the girl nodded. Snape smiled to himself at Harry ordering what was probably the most childish thing on the menu and he quickly realised the boy probably hadn't had much experience with trying different foods outside of Hogwarts.

"I thought you'd have gone for a pizza or something" Snape said taking a sip of his drink.

"I love cheese" Harry shrugged and the professor let out a small laugh, again Harry looked at him with a look of confusion.

Snape and Harry ate quietly after that with the odd conversation flowing comfortably between them, Snape quickly noticed the boy was growing tired and distracted so he quickly paid the bill and they made their way back towards Diagon Alley. He quickly noticed Harry was lagging behind and he turned to see what was holding the boy up, he frowned as Harry rubbed his eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked realising the past few days had been very overwhelming.

"I'm just tired" Harry mumbled.

"Let's get you home" Snape said leading Harry down an alleyway where they quickly apparated back to Snape Manor.

. . .

Harry and Snape quickly settled into a routine together and surprisingly they worked well, Harry wasn't your typical teenager; he was quieter and seemed to understand more although he was still a lot more fragile and Snape had grown to understand the boy. To his surprise he had started to gain Harry's trust, he noticed day by day the boy would flinch less around him and he also grew more talkative. One afternoon Snape left Harry to go work on a potion in his lab. Harry had wanted to join him but Snape didn't was the boy around anything that might be dangerous so instead he told him to stay on the grounds and stay out of trouble, which Harry was more than happy to do.

He found himself walking through the large garden it was filled with trees, flowers and a river ran through it, the trees were thick by the river and it was very secluded, you couldn't even see the huge house from down here. He noticed something that caught his interest, a small treehouse sitting in a tree with a swing hanging beside it. He quickly ran over to explore.

" _This treehouse is properly of Severus Snape and Lily Evans"_ were the words engraved on the tree next to a small ladder. Harry ran his hands over the letters, he knew Snape knew his mother but he had never truly known how close they were. He climbed up the ladder and into the small treehouse. The walls of the treehouse were filled with photos of them both, photos that moved! One photo was of Lily trying to do a cartwheel and falling over, the next was Snape holding a puppy and looking completely bemused, there was one of them but back to back with their arms crossed, Harry giggled at this; Snape looked positively fed up in the photo and it was obvious Lily forced him to pose.

He sat down and found a small notebook under the pillows "Lily's secret book" he read out loud and opened the book, inside were stories from a 10 year old girls perspective, there were drawings, poems and song lyrics. Harry contently lay on the sofa and flicked through it before putting it in his pocket. He looked out of the treehouse window and down onto the river, he had hopped several stepping stones to get over it. He wondered how many times his mum had looked out this widow, her red hair would have been blowing in the breeze and she would have been so happy. Then he imagined Snape, as gentle with her as he is with him.

"I wish you were here, mum" he whispered before climbing back out of the treehouse. He sat on the swing outside for what must have been hours, he had never been on a swing before, he always got stuck pushing Dudley. Although he nearly fell off a few times he still managed to keep his balance. He loved the whoosh feeling, it felt like he was flying a broom.

Snape appeared from the trees, the look of worry on his face evaporated when he sawHarry sitting on the swing reading the small notebook, he was oblivious to his presence. He stayed out of sight and watched the boy who was absorbed in the small book, occasionally he would laugh, gasp and cringe. Snape knew the stories that were in the small book, he had read it many times for comfort, he also knew these were stories Lily would have told Harry herself if she had the chance and his heart sunk.

This poor boy had never really known love, not in a parental sense anyway. He knew the Weasley's loved him but he'd never really had a parent of his own to love and protect him. He thought back to his own childhood, his Dad hadn't been too different to Harry's uncle Vernon but at least he had his mum to comfort and try to protect him from the blows.

This boy was a lot stronger than he'd ever given him credit for, a summer of abuse and he'd still done his homework to a higher standard than a lot of students, he scoffed at the thought of receiving the Weasley boys homework.

He finally stepped out of the trees and Harry smiled at him, he gestured Harry to come back and he did instantly with the little notebook in his hands.

"Careful" Severus warned as Harry jumped from stone to stone.

"Yeah" Harry said absently focused on not falling in.

"What's that you've got?" Snape asked making conversation and Harry's eyes widened.

"No…" he whined dropping the book "I didn't mean to steal it!" he shouted covering his head.

Snape kneeled down to pick the book up and stayed at the boy's eye level. He knew the boy thought he was going to be punished as the Dursley's still lingered in his mind. It was going to take a lot of work to help him understand that wasn't the case anymore. "This was your mum's book, but since she's not here anymore I think that makes it yours" he said handing the book back to Harry who looked at him with confusion. "I meant it when I said I won't hurt you, Harry" Snape reminded him and Harry nodded.

To their surprise Dumbledore was waiting in the living room for them. "Hello boys" he said smiling at them both.

"Sir! How are you?" Harry said running over but Snape rolled his eyes, he knew Dumbledore would have had a reason for visiting and deep down he was worried he was going to take the boy from him.

"I'm good young Harry" he beamed seeing how healthy and at home Harry looked sitting comfortably on the sofa and how relaxed Severus looked about him doing so. "Can you leave me to talk to Professor Snape for a second?" he asked and Harry frowned but left for his bedroom.

"I thought you would have come to visit the boy sooner" Snape snapped the second Harry was out of earshot.

"I wanted to, Severus, I've had long days at the ministry working out what is best to do next for Harry" Dumbledore said nervously.

"What is it, Albus?" Snape snapped getting straight to the point.

"It's about the boys guardianship" he said and Snape's face dropped.

"You're not taking him back there" Snape stated defensively and the old man laughed.

"It looks like you've grown attached" He smiled and Snape scowled.

"He's not…" Snape began saying but couldn't find the words.

"He's not what you expected?" Dumbledore smiled and Snape nodded instantly "I always told you he was a lot more like Lily" he said and Snape offered him a small smile.

"I mean it, Albus. You're not taking him" he threatened.

"The blood protection he had at the Dursleys is useless because they don't actually care for the boy, it's a wonder he hasn't been hurt before" he said and Snape opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore stopped him. "I can tell just by the way you entered the house together just there that he trusts you and I can tell by your eyes you truly care for him" he said and Snape nodded "I want you to adopt him, Severus" Albus finally said looking more serious "The muggles have failed and I get to decide what happens next, I want you to give up your role as a spy and raise him, between us and Minerva he is well protected and I'll protect you" he said in a way of explanation. Snape sighed in relief and sat beside him.

"I'll speak to Harry, but he has already told me himself he wants to stay, bring the papers round in a few days" he ordered and Albus nodded and within a few minutes of generic conversation the older man was gone. Snape was left sitting in the living room. _He had just agreed to adopt Potter, he was going to keep Harry_.

"Harry" Snape eventually called once he had gathered his thoughts and Harry appeared almost instantly "Sit, we need to talk about where you will be living permanently" he said and Harry's heart sunk, he knew deep down Snape wouldn't keep him forever and would want rid of him. "Dumbledore has decided that under no circumstances will you ever return to those muggles" he said and Harry nodded, at least that was one positive.

"Am I going to the Weasley's then?" Harry asked in a faint whisper, as much as he loved them he liked the idea of visiting them as if they were aunties and uncles, they had enough to deal with without the constant hassle of him 24/7. Snape shook his head and Harry looked confused but his heart sunk knowing he would probably end up in a care home. "Will I pack?" he asked and Snape's eyes widened.

"No, Potter. If it's okay with you, I want you to stay here with me permanently" he said "So during the holidays you will stay here with me and I will care for you and during school terms I will still be your guardian if you need me as well as your professor" he explained and Harry's eyes widened, _Snape wanted him?_ "Unless you would rather go somewhere else?" he asked nervously seeing the shock on the boy's face. There was a moment of silence as Snape watched Harry intently. He had really just been offered a home, a real home and a family, as unlikely as it was. "Harry? Do you even want to stay?" he asked and Harry without thinking ran up and hugged him, he felt the boys head nod and he could hear him crying. "I'll take that as a yes" he whispered hugging the boy tightly. He was really going to raise Harry Potter.

 **Okay so this is a shorter chapter but it seemed a good place to end it as the next few pages I've written introduce a new character (how exciting!).**

 **For people that have read the original and remember it you'll notice this is mainly a new chapter, I decided they needed more time to adjust. It's also been so nice to see the story has already gained a few followers just from the first chapter and I'm excited for where this story is going. Please review!**


	3. Chapter 3 - Open Spaces

Two weeks later and Harry had totally settled in after being more than eager to sign the adoption papers Severus was more than happy to watch the boy come out his shell in his own time. There hadn't been too many bumps over their first few weeks together, Harry suffered from regular nightmares and although he had a tendency to accidentally lash out at Severus when he tried to calm him he soon grew familiar with his guardians presence and it slowly got easier after every night. Although Severus occasionally still found himself seeing a lot of James in Harry he also saw a lot of Lily and as they continued to get to know each other he was recognising the boy as an individual and not a clone of either parent.

Harry had also begun to put on weight and day by day he grew more settled and rested. Severus also seemed happier, his home for the first time ever was filled with energy and laughter and he loved it more than he sometimes let on. He was watching Harry fly his new broom from the upstairs window in his study, he was supposed to be marking essays but watching Harry in his element proved distracting.

Harry chased the snitch over the river, above the trees and around the house before finally catching it and jumping off the broom beaming with pride. "I caught it!" Harry shouted up at Severus and although the professor couldn't hear him he still offered Harry a smile and a nod before gesturing the teen should come back inside.

"It's time for lunch" he said simply as Harry came running into the room with his broom still in hand.

Together they made their way down into the kitchen and Harry quickly poured himself a glass of water drinking nearly the whole glass in one go.

"Slow down it won't evaporate" Snape said rolling his eyes and Harry laughed lightly "I was thinking after lunch we could go somewhere today" Severus added and Harry nodded lightly.

"Where are we going?" Harry asked curiously hoping it wasn't anywhere too crowded, he was quite enjoying having their own little bubble.

"Where would you like to go?" Severus replied as they sat at the table as Dolly served their chicken salads.

"I'm not sure" Harry shrugged stabbing his fork into the chicken "I don't really know of many places" he admitted sounding slightly embarrassed knowing the potions master had probably seen and done many things.

"Well is there anything within reason you've ever wanted to do?" Severus asked.

"Not really" Harry shrugged, _was there anything he was supposed to want to do?_

Snape rolled his eyes not entirely sure if it was a teenage thing or if Harry truly didn't have any idea of what types of days out there were "well there's outgoing, touristy things" Severus blurted out before he could take it back knowing he wouldn't enjoy anything touristy but that Harry might having never truly seen anything out of the ordinary in the muggle world.

"I only know of the London Eye, Dudley went once for his birthday but I didn't get to go" Harry said honestly "but I saw the photos"

"Well would you want to do that?" Severus asked careful to keep his dislike for such activities out of his tone, but he could tell instantly but Harry's face that he didn't seem keen.

"I don't want to be locked in a carriage" Harry said looking down at his hands, the memories of the cupboard suddenly starting to creep back into his mind.

Snape nodded lightly understanding tight spaces were not going to be an option "Me neither" he replied dramatically sighing with relief and Harry laughed lightly glad he hadn't disappointed his new guardian. "When I was younger I used to enjoy walking in the countryside" he said simply thinking the open space and quiet might be a better idea.

"I think I'd prefer that" Harry said smiling brightly and Snape could tell the boy was relieved.

"There's a spot a few miles away that my mother and I used to go to bird watch before she passed" Snape said almost smiling fondly at the memory, watching powerful birds flying free was sometimes the closest thing he felt to freedom in his own tormented trapped childhood.

"What kind of birds?" Harry asked curiously.

"Mainly buzzards and hawks" Severus answered.

"And we can look for deer" Harry added eagerly.

"Well you'll have to stay quiet if you want to see a deer" Snape smirked realising he might get a moment of quiet.

. . .

A few hours later Severus and Harry apparated to a large meadow surrounded by trees, Severus looked around taking in the different emotions that began to wash over him. The meadow had always been a place of peace for him and strangely it felt like coming home, all year round it was beautiful but in the summer specifically it made him think of life and hope.

He sighed heavily at how much things had changed; the last time he was here he was sixteen and it was only months before his mother passed, it was their last proper outing together. He began to realise how much things had changed; he was no longer a small, fragile boy that needed a person to rely on but instead he had become the person Harry relied on and he could only hope his mother would be proud.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Harry asked looking up at the professor who was completely lost in thought.

Severus looked down and smiled, for the first time in a long time he truly didn't feel alone and for the first time in a long time, as unlikely as it was he had his own family "I'm okay, Harry"

"Are you sure?" Harry asked again.

"Don't worry, I'm sure" Snape reassured him "let's go sit on this hill"

Together they sat on a small mound and Snape passed Harry a pair of binoculars, although Harry seemed more interested in picking dandelions and blowing the petals everywhere. "Maybe we'll find some foxes" Harry said looking through the binoculars.

"It's a possibility" Severus replied content the teen seemed occupied.

Harry relaxed in the grass looking up at the sky with the binoculars resting on his chest, he inhaled and let out a peaceful breath taking in how nice it was to be completely safe in an open space. Here, in this field with just his guardian he didn't have to be anything; he wasn't a muggle slave, the wizarding saviour or even just the boy everybody always seemed to be watching, he was just Harry and he was safe.

"Look!" Harry shouted before grabbing the binoculars and looking up at a large bird gliding through the sky "what is it?" he asked curiously.

Snape quickly took out his own binoculars and spotted the same bird moving through the air with its wings outstretched "it's a buzzard" he said simply.

"Wow" Harry gasped watching the bird glide through the sky. "Is it looking for food?" Harry asked when he realised the bird remained hovering in the one place.

"Probably" Severus said simply "if you watch for long enough he might dive"

"Let's keep watching" Harry decided and Snape smiled lightly at the boys' curiosity, but with how obsessed he was with Hedwig it wasn't a surprise he found the bird intriguing.

After a few moments of watching the huge bird circling and hovering around the same patch of land without warning the bird dropped at a drastic rate with its claws stretched out ready to grab whatever it had been circling. A second later the bird reappeared holding a small rodent in its claws and they both let out a small gasp as the bird flew off into the thick trees.

Severus nudged Harry slightly and Harry lowered the binoculars to see what the professor wanted, he nodded as Severus brought his finger to his lips gesturing to remain silent and Harry nodded and suddenly he felt the panic rising in his chest and he began to reach for his wand but Severus shook his head.

He followed his guardians' finger as the older wizard pointed out two deer making their way through the meadow, one of which only looked a few months old. Snape smiled fondly at the doe as it patiently allowed the small fawn to prance about the field.

"He's so playful and lanky" Harry whispered laughing lightly as the animal clumsily chased after a bee, he definitely still had to grow into his legs.

"Just think one day he will grow up to be a powerful stag" Severus said looking down at Harry who was completely entranced by the deer.

"But for now he's just happy with the doe" Harry added as the fawn joined his mother once more and they continued to walk across the meadow.

For a further two hours they both sat in the field side by side enjoying the quiet, occasionally a rabbit would appear and catch their attention but they didn't see any more birds of prey. Harry shivered lightly as the evening breeze began to blow through the trees.

"Are you ready to head home?" Severus asked and Harry nodded lightly.

After apparating back home Harry collapsed on the sofa completely ready for a relaxing evening in while Snape set the fire and quickly joined him in the living room. "After dinner I have a few essays to finish marking and then we can read if you want to?" he offered.

"That would be good" Harry said smiling widely "can I look through the library while you're away?" Harry asked.

"As long as you don't touch the restricted books on the highest shelf you know you can read anything else" he said and Harry nodded wondering what Hermione would suggest. "What are you thinking?" Severus asked cautiously when he realised a small frown on the teens face.

"Can I owl my friends?" he asked his eyes filled with hope.

"Harry you don't have to ask me to contact your friends, all I ask is you don't put anything in a letter you wouldn't want getting into the wrong hands" he said sternly and Harry nodded, his new guardianship wasn't well known yet, he decided to wait to tell them in person but to owl them to let them know he was having a great summer.

"Can they maybe visit one day?" he asked cautiously hoping that wouldn't be a step too far.

"As long as Weasley doesn't blow up anything and Granger doesn't bombard me with questions or ask me to check her homework" he said simply.

"They won't" Harry reassured him but the professor only rolled his eyes lightly. "So that's a yes?" Harry asked to clarify, _was he hearing things?_

"Yes, Harry" Severus replied "I was thinking casserole for dinner"

. . .

After dinner as discussed Severus made his way to his study to finish marking the third year potion essays and Harry made his way to the library to look for new books to read. Severus finished marking the first few essays in the last of this pile; he had marked Draco with an impressive 96%, Hermione with an equally impressive 94%, Ron with a slightly less impressive 75% and he was half way through marking Neville's when he began to want to pull his own hair out and found himself leaning against the window ledge looking tiredly up at the sky outside.

"Bored of marking, Severus?" Dumbledore asked appearing in the doorway.

"I'm sure you would also find yourself bored if you had to read a five page essay written by Neville Longbottom" Severus said dryly making the older wizard chuckle.

"I'm sure it can't be that bad" Dumbledore said raising a brow.

Severus sat behind his desk once more and began flicking through the pages "it is crucial to follow instructions because if you don't it will blow up" Severus read aloud completely monotone.

Dumbledore laughed lightly watching the younger professor with warm eyes "well he isn't wrong" he replied and Severus rolled his eyes before moving the parchment to the side and relaxing in his chair "you look a lot more relaxed, Severus" Dumbledore noted.

"Is that right?" Severus said simply.

"I wanted to pop round to see how Harry is doing, how is he settling in?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'd say as good as expected" Severus replied smiling lightly at how well Harry was doing.

"Remember I'm here if need be, Severus" Dumbledore stated "Hagrid has also expressed an interest to help after bumping into you both" Dumbledore added, Hagrid had nagged a few times about seeing Harry over the summer now he was fully back in the wizarding world.

"I'll bring Harry to Hogwarts one day when I'm preparing for next term and Harry can spend time with Hagrid" Severus offered realising exactly what Dumbledore was hinting at.

"That would be much appreciated" Dumbledore smiled.

"Is Sirius aware of the situation?" Severus asked warily having not heard anything about the mutt since he escaped from the tower.

"He is" Dumbledore grimaced.

"I'm guessing he didn't react well?" Severus asked.

"It was hard to understand if he was angrier at the Dursley's or Harry's current arrangement but he also understands he still had to remain low and that he can't provide the care Harry needs" Dumbledore explained.

"But in the future?" Severus asked.

"Sirius is still adjusting to life outside Azkaban and he is quite reliant on Remus right now. He knows Harry needs stability so I can't see him doing anything outrageous" Dumbledore smiled "he does care about the boys best interests and although he will no doubt demand to see him in the near future I don't think he'll cause any drama" he added trying to sound as reassuring as possible but Severus wasn't buying it.

"But in the future, Albus?" he repeated.

"I don't know, Severus" Dumbledore said honestly.

"What rights does he have?" Severus asked.

"He is and always will be Harry's godfather so he has the rights that come with that, but only once his name is cleared and he would still have to prove he can provide a more stable home than the one you provide" Dumbledore said simply "has Harry asked about him?" Dumbledore questioned wondering where the sudden questions had come from.

"He hasn't and I think he's only doing it to protect Sirius because he'll know he's staying out of sight" Severus sighed. "He'll ask eventually, Albus"

"Severus, the boy is yours so stop worrying" Dumbledore sighed "Harry is happy here and for now focus on that" he smiled but Severus shook his head.

"I don't know, Albus" Severus said running his fingers through his hair.

"It's getting late, my boy, get some rest" Dumbledore suggested before standing up and making his way towards the door "keep in touch" he said simply and after a small nod from the younger wizard he sighed lightly to himself and left the room.

. . .

Severus made his way down into the living room to find Harry sitting on the sofa waiting for him patiently "I picked a book" he said as Severus entered the room and sat beside him.

"What did you pick?" Severus asked.

"This" Harry said holding up the book so Severus could see.

"Hamlet?" Severus asked raising a brow.

"I've never read Shakespeare and Hermione brings it up every so often" Harry explained.

"If this is what you want to read" he said with a small smile and Harry nodded lightly "why don't you read out loud tonight?" Severus suggested and Harry nodded.

Harry began reading softly, occasionally stopping to frown at the wording before looking to his guardian for explanation, luckily Severus was familiar with the style of writing and was happy enough to translate. Quickly his mind turned back to Sirius and as he listened to the teen read he realised how far Harry had come in such a short time and he could only hope their peace wouldn't be disrupted too soon.

 **So here's another chapter! This is a completely new chapter and it was a tough one to write and something I spent a lot of time debating on and trying to find a good balance with. Although a lot doesn't happen in this chapter I decided they needed another chapter to set a scene before more characters properly join the story and shake things up a bit. I'm sorry if it was boring compared to the first two but taking feedback from last time I'm trying not to rush into the craziness. I'm hoping to get a new chapter up every few days but I work full time and I'm also a student so please bear with me : ) I can't wait for the next chapter! Review if you have time and be kind!**

 **The next chapter is one I am very excited for!**

 **Kmbrun, thank you so much for your review! School is still a long way away for this story but those chapters are in progress and it's definitely a tricky adjustment for all characters!**

 **Mandancie, I'm so happy you reviewed and I'm glad you found this story again! I can't wait to share the new parts of this story with you and I hope you enjoy it just as much this time round! I'm so excited about working on this story again** **I hope your writing is going well and you had a great Christmas and New Year!**

 **aidann83, thank you so much for your review! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!**

 **Himmelstaenzerin** **, I'm really glad you've enjoyed the first few chapters. School is still a while away yet but it does happen eventually, but by then a lot has changed! So it's the summer before Harry's fourth year, he's currently thirteen but I have a chapter written for his fourteenth birthday that will appear within the next few chapters!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Unlikely Friends

The following evening Severus and Harry found themselves sitting on the same sofa reading the same book, tonight Severus read out loud as Harry dozed contently in and out of sleep. Severus noted the teen seemed extra clingy tonight but he didn't mind, he allowed the teen to rest his head against his chest as he quickly became lost in the book. A bang from the fireplace distracted them both and within seconds they were on their feet with their wands drawn.

"Sev…help!" a boy screeched as he tried to pick himself up off the floor. "Uncle Sev!"

Without thinking Severus ran over and pulled the boy to his feet gently trying to stabilise the disorientated teenager.

"Draco!?" Harry asked shocked, instantly his perfect bubble was ruined, out of all the people to fall out the fireplace it had to be Draco Malfoy.

"What are you doing here, Potter?" he spat before stumbling into a table and knocking a vase over.

"None of your business, Malfoy" Harry hissed defensively.

"What's happened, Draco?" Snape asked dismissing the hostilities.

"I didn't want to take the dark mark, so my Dad…" he said but he couldn't get the words out. "He's disowned me" he finally said his eyes wide as if he was only just taking the information in. "No no no" Draco muttered as his breathing grew shaky.

"Breathe, Draco" Severus reminded him guiding Draco into one of the armchairs.

"Voldemort's going to kill me, I'm going to die" he cried out growing more overwhelmed by the second.

"You're safe here Draco" Snape said as the boy sunk into the chair. Severus carefully began to inspect his injuries, he had a cut on his head and a bloody nose but he seemed emotionally hurt more than anything. "Did your dad do that to you?" Snape asked pointing at the blondes face and he nodded. "Harry can you get me a basin of water and a wash cloth?" Snape asked and Harry nodded and quickly got to his feet still slightly shocked by the entire situation. "We'll be in the room opposite yours" he said and Harry nodded.

"Opposite his" Draco spat.

Harry stomped into the kitchen ignoring Draco's comment, he wasn't going to be the one to make Severus angry, he would leave that to Draco and hopefully the blonde would get himself thrown out. He turned on the tap with force only causing the water to splash back up at him. "Had to be Malfoy, didn't it?" he muttered to himself as he turned off the tap and made his way toward the room opposite his.

Harry entered the room to find Draco had changed into PJS and was now mumbling about how Harry shouldn't be here.

"Quiet, Draco" Severus said feeling the boys' forehead but he flinched away from the touch and Snape sighed, for a split second he looked vulnerable. Harry brought the basin in and looked around the room, it was decorated in teenage Slytherin décor and the quidditch top on the wall had "Malfoy" written on the back of it with a number 1. Harry frowned in confusion, had Draco been here before?

"What are you looking at, Potter?" Draco hissed.

"Shut up, Malfoy!" he said, he had no sympathy for the Slytherin, quickly he passed the basin to Snape who was already growing tired with the pair of them bickering. Severus took the wash cloth and began cleaning the blood from Draco's face, he could tell by the boy's eyes he was in pain but that he wasn't showing it because Harry was in the room. Harry began to walk towards the door, he didn't want to spend any more time with Draco Malfoy than he already had.

"Yeah and don't come back" Malfoy shouted as Harry slammed the door.

"Draco" Snape said sternly and Draco instantly went quiet and flinched as the cloth touched his face again.

"I've never seen him so mad, Uncle Sev, I thought he was going to kill me" Draco whispered so quietly Snape had to strain to hear him, Lucius Malfoy had always been harsh, if not cruel to Draco but he had never seemed as haunted as he did right now.

"You're safe now Draco, I'll speak with him soon but until then you need to rest as it's getting late" Snape said.

"He called you a traitor" Draco admitted as a small tear escaped and trickled down his cheek.

"It's okay, Draco, don't worry about it for now" Severus said standing and after a few minutes he left Draco in the bed and turned the night light on, he knew Draco didn't like the dark because he wanted to be aware of his surroundings. He closed the door and sighed, a huge part of him wanted to go straight to Malfoy Manor and demand to know what was going on but it was late and he knew he would do something he regretted.

. . .

Harry sat on his bed completely lost for what to think, Draco Malfoy was in his house and calling his guardian Uncle? He dropped his head into his hands realising how stupid he was for thinking he could have a normal family with no drama. He silently cursed Voldemort for wrecking his home life for a second time, even if this time it was unintentional.

Severus quickly entered Harry's room to make sure Draco's arrival hadn't caused too much distress. Harry stood up and went straight into the bathroom and locked the door on Severus who was looking confused and slightly irritated. Harry's mind was filled with worries and he needed to think, it was obvious that was Draco's room and he began to wonder if he'd saved the boy previously and then sent him back to the older Malfoy, he knew Draco was an annoying brat and maybe Snape had enough of him and threw him out, would Snape do that to him too?

Severus sat patiently on the bed unsure of what to say to Harry, he could use magic to open the door but it would only cause more distress. "Are you okay?" Severus asked as Harry finally entered the room and climbed into bed. Harry didn't reply he just looked at his hands and Severus knew he was anxious about something. "Do you want to talk about it?" he asked and Harry shrugged.

"I'll pack tomorrow" Harry blurted out.

"What are you talking about, Harry?" Severus asked trying to hide the worry in his voice, the teen was obviously shaken up.

"Draco's here and you're going to send me away" Harry sniffled quickly looking away to avoid his guardians stare "it's okay I understand, I can just stay in a care home till Sirius comes for me"

"Harry I'm not sending you anywhere" Severus said softly sitting on the edge of the bed "and you know Sirius can't look after you"

"So you're not going to send me back like you did to Draco?" Harry blurted out, he regretted it instantly realising how stupid he must sound and Severus raised his brow.

"I didn't send Draco back anywhere?" Severus questioned.

"Why does he have his own room then?" Harry snapped clenching the lion teddy.

Severus sighed "He's my godson, Harry, he likes to visit sometimes when his parents are busy because he gets lonely and I used to watch him a lot when he was younger" he answered "He was never sent anywhere" he reassured him but Harry was too tired to listen. "Draco knows he can come and go whenever he wants to"

"Well that's fantastic" Harry mumbled, Malfoy could fall out the fireplace whenever he pleased? Great it just keeps getting better.

The room quickly fell to silence when Severus realised he wouldn't be able to reassure the teen in one night, it was going to take time. Harry quickly fell asleep too tired to think anymore but Severus sat by the boy for over an hour, he knew there was no chance of Draco leaving anytime soon with the time it takes Lucius to calm down and Severus wasn't entirely comfortable with Draco going back. But putting Draco and Harry in the same house over the summer, It could only go wrong. He sighed moving Harry's hair out of his eyes before leaving him to sleep.

. . .

" _You will regret that, boy!" Uncle Vernon spat at Harry, he had accidentally knocked over a photo while cleaning, it hadn't smashed but Uncle Vernon was angry none the less. He grabbed Harry and threw him onto the sofa before taking down his joggers and whipping him several times with the belt._

 _Harry didn't say anything, he quietly waited and waited for it to stop, but he began to think it was never going to until finally his uncle spun him round. With his trousers around his ankles he couldn't get up to run away, he felt Uncle Vernon's gigantic hands around his neck as he choked. Everything started going dark but his Uncle suddenly stopped. Dragging him by his hair, his knees scraping off the ground he was thrown into the freezing cold cupboard and the dark started closing in._

Harry screamed and thrashed in his bed. He couldn't wake up, he was trapped with Uncle Vernon. The covers flew violently from the bed as he jerked and turned. The bedroom door opened and Severus flew in with the look of horror plastered across his face.

"Harry! Wake up!" he shouted and Harrys eyes flew open and he could make out a blurred figure sitting next to him.

"NO!" he screamed lashing out at Severus managing to punch him in the side, Severus barely flinched.

"It's me, Harry, come on now open your eyes" he said softly and the boy's eyes shot open, he looked around breathing heavily and saw Severus next to him, he moved over so Severus could sit beside him comfortably.

"Sir?" Harry whined finally working out what was going on.

"It's okay" Severus said moving his arm so Harry could cuddle into him, he lay back down relaxing into the older man's chest needing to be close to somebody that was safe.

For a moment Severus remained quiet and gently stroked the boys back as he began to calm down, he looked down sadly at the teens trembling body "What happened?" he finally asked breaking the silence.

"Bad dream" Harry mumbled and Severus rolled his eyes, he gathered that much. "Uncle Vernon was hurting me and then I was in the cupboard, I don't want to go back there" he whimpered and Severus pulled him closer as the boy cried. He knew Severus wouldn't send him away but he also knew he couldn't live with Draco, he would have to ward his room in case the Slytherin tried to murder him in his sleep.

"Shh, I'm here" Severus soothed "you're okay, it's all okay" he said softly but he couldn't seem to calm the boy down. "Harry, please relax" he begged y but after several minutes he was still sobbing. Gently Severus began singing the Hogwarts anthem, as much as he hated the song and found it ridiculous Dumbledore often used the most powerful wand in the world for karaoke sessions he'd seen the boy belting it out every time and hoped the happy memories would soothe him and it did. Harry quickly settled down while Severus fell into a deep thought, Harry hadn't had a nightmare in a while to his knowledge and he knew Draco arriving had rocked the boat a bit but he couldn't have either boy feeling unwelcome.

"Maybe I should go live with the Weasley's" Harry suggested pulling him out of thoughts "I can still visit you, or you can visit me" he said and Severus sighed.

"Harry you're not living with the Weasley's, one of those out of control twins would blow you up accidentally within a week"

"At least that will be accidental, Draco will do it on purpose" he said sitting up on the bed staring at Severus begging the older wizard to fix the situation.

"Harry, he's not as bad as you think he is" he said quite convincingly but Harry still scoffed. "Give him a chance and if you're still not happy in a week we'll sort something out, but you will never go back to your uncle" he said with a tone that made Harry believe him instantly. He nodded more to himself, he would give Draco a chance, not a chance to be friends just a chance to be civil, he told Snape that was his plan and Snape laughed, the boy was as stubborn as ever.

Again they fell into silence as Severus waited patiently for Harry to fall back asleep, he became completely lost in his own thoughts when he realised Harry didn't want to talk but he rather just needed someone safe to sit with. Eventually Harry dozed off and Severus made his way back to his own room hoping tomorrow wouldn't be too eventful.

. . .

The next day Harry woke up warm and comfortable in bed. Severus knocked on the door and stepped into the room, he was already awake and ready for the day. "Comfy?" he asked and Harry nodded contently, it was obvious the boy had no intention of moving as he rolled back over and sprawled out on the bed. He was so sleepy and content he had forgotten Draco was down the hall.

Severus smiled at the teen and began to think of going back to Hogwarts, he was beginning to realise he was going to miss Harry being around 24/7, he would have his friends back and he wouldn't need him as much anymore. Harry was always independent in school and relied more on his friends whereas Draco was at the dungeon every other night moaning about one thing or another, he shook his head light heartedly at how demanding Draco could be.

"Uncle Sev!" a voice shouted from across the corridor and he rolled his eyes, at least he was right about the demanding Draco Malfoy. Harry instantly sat up and scowled remembering Malfoy was in his house.

"Time to get up" he said to Harry before slipping out the room. Harry followed quickly and they made their way down to Draco's room. He was sitting up in bed but didn't look too happy.

"Uncle Sev!" he shouted again and Snape rolled his eyes.

"I'm here, what is it?" he asked.

"I hurts" he said sulking until he saw Harry and glared at him. "Why are you here, Potter? Shouldn't you have crawled back into your cage by now" he spat and Harry glared back.

"I live here, Malfoy" he said confidently and Draco's eyed widened.

"No you don't" he said turning his nose up.

"Yes I do" Harry smirked quite enjoying Draco's denial.

"No you don't" Draco snapped.

"If you say so" Harry smiled only making Draco angrier.

"Boys" Severus warned before passing Draco a potion from the bedside cabinet.

"You live with filthy muggles" Draco teased but to his disappointment Harry didn't seem too offended, he didn't like his relatives after all but Draco didn't know that.

"Draco if you're wanting to stay stop winding up Harry" Severus threatened passing the boy a second potion. "He helped you last night after your abrupt arrival" he reminded the blonde who blushed and took the potion.

"Thanks, Uncle Sev" Draco mumbled instantly relieved by the potion "but does he actually live here?" Draco asked raising a brow.

"Yes now time for breakfast, get up" he instructed walking out the room as both boys followed him down to the kitchen occasionally glaring at each other but both fighting to be by Severus' side.

. . .

All three of them ate breakfast in silence other than the occasional glare thrown across the kitchen table there was little interaction. Severus sighed; he knew if both boys were going to stay they would need to find a common ground. "What are you doing today, Harry?" Severus asked trying to encourage conversation but Harry only shrugged "Speak, Harry" he scolded and Harry rolled his eyes but Snape let it slip.

"I might go to the river" he said and Draco looked up instantly curious.

"Draco loves it down there" Severus said and Draco nodded, they shared an awkward look neither really too sure what to say to the other. Breakfast quickly fell back into silence and Severus admitted defeat, he was just happy they weren't throwing insults at each other anymore. Finally Dolly came in to clean the dishes and Harry walked off to help her. Draco looked at Snape confused "It's a muggle thing" he said by way of explanation and Draco nodded knowing mugggles didn't have elves.

"Of course it is" Draco muttered.

"Draco, try and get to know Harry and I think you'll be surprised" Severus said simply getting the boys attention.

"Why would I want to do that?" Draco asked stubbornly.

"It gives you someone your own age to spend time with until your father calms down and I feel you both have a lot more in common than either of you would ever care to admit" he said and he watched as Draco frowned deep in thought.

"We are nothing alike" Draco finally said unable to find any connections.

"Well of course you won't think you are alike if you only keep looking for the differences" Severus replied casually sipping his coffee, he had discovered the best way to get Draco to co-operate was to challenge the boys mind. Severus nodded smugly as Draco picked up the remaining dishes and took them into the kitchen; he knew curiosity would get the better of the teen.

"Thank you, Master Draco" Dolly smiled taking them from him.

"Sorry for this morning, Potter" Draco mumbled before going to leave the kitchen.

"Me too" Harry said looking slightly lost for words, he looked at Draco's face it was looking better than it did the day before but it was still pretty swollen, he suddenly felt sorry for him, he knew how it felt to be knocked around by somebody that was bigger and stronger and after meeting Draco's father a few times he knew the man was cruel in a way Uncle Vernon probably couldn't even comprehend.

Draco awkwardly turned and left the kitchen unsure of what to say next, he would never admit it but there was something about Harry's magical ability he didn't feel safe around, especially after all the times he had taunted his peer and now he didn't have his friends to back him up.

"I think I'm going to sit in the library" Draco said simply as he walked past Severus.

"Draco" Severus called stopping the teen instantly, Draco turned and watched as Severus offered him a weak smile "I'm here if you need to talk" he said simply and Draco smiled sadly before leaving the room.

A moment later Harry also appeared from the kitchen "Harry" Severus called gesturing him over and Harry quickly sat beside his guardian "do you remember much of last night?" he asked surprised Harry hadn't brought it up.

"I'm sorry I woke you" Harry muttered looking away awkwardly.

"Never be sorry, I just want to check everything is okay" he said.

Harry nodded lightly unsure of what he was meant to say "I'm okay now" he finally said.

"Are you going to the river today?" Severus asked changing the subject.

"Yeah I think so" Harry shrugged.

"Can you take Draco with you?" Severus asked praying the teens could get along.

"Do I have to?" Harry asked sulking slightly; he didn't want to share his river and his treehouse with a Malfoy.

"He's pretty beaten up, Harry and right now I think he needs a friend that understands" Severus prodded and Harry finally nodded not wanting to let Severus down.

. . .

"Hey Draco" Harry called out unsure of where Draco had even gone, he began to wonder if the he had ran away but then he remembered he chose to come here.

"I'm in here, Potter" Draco called from the library.

Harry frowned, _Draco in a library?_ He entered the library curiously to find Draco sitting on the sofa without a book. "Wanna go swimming?" he finally asked and Draco's face lit up. As much as he loved spending time with Severus he hadn't had company his own age since school ended and even if it was Harry Potter it couldn't be that bad.

"Yeah…sure" he smiled awkwardly.

"Okay, let's go" Harry said unsure of what to say next.

"We're going swimming!" Harry shouted before running by with Draco who briefly stopped noticing Severus' small smile but he didn't think much of it and continued.

Severus sipped his coffee, he was already worried the two boys would end up killing each other but he decided to leave them to it, he had plenty to get done today and could only hope they would occupy each other hopefully without somebody being drowned.

. . .

An hour later after finally easing into the others company both boys floated around in the water happily. "Can you do flips in the water?" Harry asked and Draco looked confused. "Like this!" Harry demonstrated by doing a roly-poly in the water and causing water to splash everywhere, it wasn't the most elegant of flips and Draco laughed.

"No I can't do that, Potter" he scoffed, he wasn't even going to try and risk making a fool of himself, instead he floated on his back and let the sun shine on him.

Harry frowned at Draco's inability to play along but he didn't dwell on it, instead he began swimming further into the middle.

"Potter" Draco finally asked sitting back up and Harry looked at him to continue "don't take this in a bad way but…why are you here?" he asked and Harry looked down. "I'm not trying to be rude it was just unexpected" he said and Harry nodded realising how crazy the entire situation was.

Harry hesitated slightly but remembered a conversation he had with Severus about how he wasn't to be ashamed and he was safe to talk about it if he wanted to. "My uncle wasn't caring for me properly and Snape found out and took me off them and now I live with Snape" he simply said leaving out as much detail as possible.

"Did he hit you?" Draco asked abruptly and Harry frowned. What kind of question was that?

"Yeah he did" he finally answered expecting Draco to mock him but he watched as the blonde fell deep into thought.

"My Dad hits me too" Draco finally confessed to Harry's surprise.

"I'm sorry, Draco" Harry said sadly "Does he do that often?" he asked and Draco nodded.

"Please don't tell Severus" he begged "or anyone for that matter" he added and Harry nodded lightly, he knew how tough it was to feel so vulnerable.

"Thanks" Draco said offering him a smile and to his surprise Harry splashed him "Potter!" he shouted but before he had a chance to say anything else Harry splashed him again.

A water fight quickly broke out and Severus could hear the screaming and laughing from an open window in his study, he was just happy the boys were getting along although he knew Lucius would come for Draco eventually, as he always did, he didn't tell Harry but it wasn't the first time he'd healed the boy after a run in with his Dad.

Back at the river the boys had finally got out the water and were drying off in the sun. "What's that?" Draco asked noticing the tree house in the distance and Harry grew concerned, Draco had never been to this part of the river before and he was intrigued. He was beginning to accept Draco was here, he would maybe go as far as saying he was enjoying his company but he didn't trust him near his mother's treehouse.

"It was my mums" he said as a way of defence hoping Draco wouldn't destroy it. They both walked over to the treehouse and Harry felt a lump in his throat, he was filled with fear Draco would damage something.

"What's the point of this?" Draco asked picking up the swing and Harry looked at him with confusion.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"What does it do?" he asked shaking it and Harry giggled, Draco definitely wasn't too familiar with all things muggle.

"It's a swing" he finally said and Draco looked more confused.

"What does it do?" he asked.

"It swings" Harry said sarcastically and Draco rolled his eyes, "give me it" he said taking the swing from Draco and sitting on it, he began to swing back and forth until he was going really high before finally jumping off. "It's a muggle toy" he said by way of explanation.

"Can I try?" Draco asked and Harry nodded, he sat on the swing and nothing happened "It's not moving" he finally asked and Harry burst out laughing.

"You have to make it move" he said and Draco pulled out his wand "No!...with your legs" Harry said rolling his eyes and stopping Draco before he got them both in trouble for using magic. He quickly ran behind the swing and gave Draco a push, he quickly got the hang of it and was swinging twice as high as Harry was, he was screaming with excitement and fear as Harry laughed at him.

Back in the study Snape had recognised the screams of fear and rolled his eyes, he could tell it was Draco and with how big a wuss he was he wasn't overly concerned but quickly made his way down to the river anyway. He found Draco swinging and Harry laughing at him whilst trying to push him higher. "Harry, stop!" Draco shouted and Harry backed away. "How do I get off?" He asked and Harry quickly moved in front of the swing to direct him.

"Put your feet down" he said and before he could finish his instructions Draco obeyed and the force of the sudden stop sent him flying off the swing and into Harry, both boys rolled over in the dirt, Severus gasped but sighed in relief as both boys burst out laughing.

"The famous Draco Malfoy can't work a swing" Harry teased and Draco looked almost upset "Hey, I'm joking" Harry said putting his hand on his back "my cousin Dudley fell off tones of swings, and slides and pretty much everything for that matter" he said frowning and both boys began laughing again.

"Stupid muggle thing" Draco muttered getting to his feet to brush the dirt off his clothes.

"Why do you hate muggles and mudbloods so much?" Harry blurted out before he could stop himself.

"I…" Draco started but he wasn't too sure what to say, he didn't know why he hated them it was just what he'd been told to feel, and the more he thought it he didn't actually hate them he just didn't know how else to behave.

Snape finally came into sight as both the boys were on their feet again. "Lunch" he said simply and both boys followed him back towards the house Draco relieved to avoid answering the awkward question.

. . .

Later that night both boys sat in Harrys room watching Snape set up a TV, he decided maybe Harry needed a muggle comfort to help him settle at nights and on the grounds he was only allowed to watch it for an hour a day, after all homework and for no more than 4 days a week Harry was excited, he had never really watched the TV before, he wasn't allowed to back at the Dursleys but he didn't tell Snape that.

Severus was also happy Draco showed a lot of interest, he wanted the boy to accept muggles and mudbloods and he decided it would be a good idea to introduce him to muggle technology. He had explained to Draco that Harry has nightmares in case he heard the boy screaming during the night and that he wasn't to worry or enter the room, he left out the small detail that Harry lashed out and instead told him the TV provided a home comfort.

Draco was surprisingly understanding and didn't bring up the nightmares at all to Harry, he had also had many nightmares about death eaters and The Dark Lord and deep down he felt sorry for Harry.

Once the TV was set up both the teens sat on Harry's bed and watched a film, "The Terminator", Draco was a lot more into it than Harry and Harry quickly fell asleep leaving Draco to finish the movie by himself. Snape appeared two hours later expecting to have to scold them for breaking the TV curfew already but he was surprised to find both boys fast asleep on Harry's bed and the film credits rolling, with a flick of the wand the TV was off and he gently moved Draco from the bed to take him back to his own room, he stirred slightly but didn't wake. He noticed how bruised and cut the boy still was and he sighed.

He hadn't mentioned it to Draco but a contact had spoken to his father and he had firmly decided against him going back unless he agreed to become a death eater and Snape had decided if that was the case he was keeping Draco, he didn't want to lose the boy to the dark side.

. . .

Snape woke early the next again day and the house was silent, he made his way downstairs to have a cup of coffee before the boys woke up, he was beginning to realise how exhausting parenting was but also how much it was bringing him to life. The kettle had barely boiled when the dark haired boy appeared in the doorway rubbing his eyes.

"You're up early" Snape said and the boy nodded. "Did you have another bad dream?" he asked and Harry shook his head.

"Hedwig wanted inside and then I couldn't fall back asleep" he explained before pouring himself a glass of orange juice. Snape smiled to himself at how comfortable the boy had become in his new home.

"Are you sure you don't want to try going back to sleep?" he asked gently but Harry shook his head.

"Sir…what was my mum like at school?" Harry asked sitting opposite Severus.

He quickly thought of what he was going to say, he still found memories of Lily painful. "She was…she was different" he finally said "She got along with everyone and didn't take part in the house drama between Gryffindor and Slytherin, she worked hard and Dumbledore had a soft spot for her, like he does for you" he said smiling at the boy who was watching him in awe.

"Is it weird working with Dumbledore since he was your headmaster?" he asked and Severus frowned gently in thought, he'd never really thought of it.

"It felt right, I've always trusted Albus and he looked out for me a lot when I was younger" he finally said.

"Like you look out for me?" Harry asked for clarification.

"In a way" Severus shrugged, he had never really thought about it before but Harry was probably right.

"And what about my dad, were you friends since you were friends with mum?" he asked and Snape's eyes closed. He couldn't tell Harry how nasty his Dad could be, he couldn't ruin the one innocent concept of his life he still had.

"We were a bit like you and Draco used to be, because we were in opposite houses" he said carefully and Harry nodded.

"But maybe if you had been in different circumstances you could have been friends?" Harry asked innocently and Snape nodded slowly before offering the boy a gentle smile.

"Uncle Sev!" a cry from further in the house screamed and Severus was on his feet instantly and running towards Draco's room, Harry followed tiredly wondering what the drama was.

"What is it, Draco?" Severus asked softly as he entered the bedroom to see the teen swaying against his bathroom door holding his head.

"I don't feel good!" he gasped before running into the toilet to be sick. Severus flinched at the sound and turned to see Harry standing behind him his eyes filled with concern.

"Harry can you please bring me a fever reduction potion and some water? Ask Dolly to help you" he said softly and almost instantly Harry ran looking for Dolly. "Draco it's okay" Severus said entering the bathroom and rubbing the boys back.

"I feel sick, I'm sorry" he mumbled and Snape sighed helping the boy get back into bed. With a wave of his wand Severus changed a pen holder into a basin and just in time as Draco threw up in it.

Snape felt the boys' forehead, he was burning up quickly. Harry and Dolly ran into the room carrying various bottles and Severus sighed with relief. He gave Draco the potion to calm his temperature.

"Draco I have an anti-sickness potion but I think you have a bug, so it's better to let you be sick and get it out your system" Severus said softly and Draco almost cried with disappointment.

"Please" he whined but Severus shook his head and stood his ground. He stroked the boys back as he threw up again in the basin, sometimes Mother Nature worked better than magic.

"Harry maybe you should wait downstairs" Severus said sternly and Harry knew it wasn't up for debate; reluctantly he left the room as Draco threw up again.

He lay on the sofa downstairs and reluctantly fell asleep as his body suddenly grew tired. He dreamt peacefully of the time him, Ron and Hermione defeated the troll and the shocked look on Snape's face. He smiled to himself remembering how much he used to hate the man. He stretched out as he fell into a deeper, dreamless sleep. He woke later and Severus wasn't there but he also wasn't feeling very well, his stomach flipped and he felt the need to throw up. He quickly ran to the guest bathroom and threw up in the toilet, his body was weak and trembling.

"You too?" a voice from the door asked and he turned to see his guardian watching him with concern, he nodded and Severus sighed exasperated.

"Sorry" he whispered.

"Don't be sorry, Harry, it's just tough seeing you both poorly. Let's get you to bed" he said helping the teen to his feet, he considered taking him to Draco's bed so they would be together but was worried it would end in a fight since they were both feeling vulnerable, so instead he tucked him into his own bed. Gently Severus put a cold compress on Harry's head and helped him take the potion. Harry looked at him with confusion.

"What is it?" Snape asked.

"I've never been looked after when I was sick before" Harry explained and Severus smiled at him gently, he was going to make sure Harry knew what it felt like to be looked after. He rubbed the boys back as he threw up again and then spoke to him softly until he fell asleep.

The rest of that day Severus ran exhaustedly between Harry and Draco trying to keep them both comfortable while wiping away tears, cleaning up sick and trying to make more fever reduction potions. On the way back from his laboratory he also felt the urge to be sick and before he knew it he was bent over the toilet throwing up as well. He suddenly felt stupid for not casting a protection charm around himself and Harry when Draco first got sick, he'd been so tired and worried he didn't think. He scolded himself as he dizzily staggered into the hallway before sliding down the wall.

"Dolly!" He slurred.

"Master Snape!" She screamed in horror "Is you okay?" she asked and he shook his head.

"Get Albus or Minerva, tell them they'll need a protection charm before they enter" he said clutching his stomach in pain, he tried to stagger back to Harry but he couldn't move for the dizziness, he slowly felt his own fever burning up intensely as everything went blurry.

 **So I decided to end this chapter here, it's very similar to the original with a few bits added. This chapter isn't what I want it to be but it's become a chapter that no matter what I try it's never going to be right so after a long debate with myself I decided to keep it similar to last time since it worked before.**

 **I'm sorry it's taken longer than expected to post, life is tough right now and sometimes I can't think straight enough to write. I don't think I have a lot of work to do on the next chapter so hoping it will be up in two day's time but I'll do my best : )**

 **I normally love replying to each individual review but I can't right now so I just want to say thank you to each and every one of you that have left a kind review, I've read them all and I'm very grateful you've taken the time to read this story and I hope you continue reading!**

 **Please be kind in the reviews, I'm doing my best : )**


	5. Chapter 5 - Even wizards get sick

Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall sat in the headmaster's office as he was trying to coax her into a game of exploding snap but she wasn't convinced.

"We should be sorting student's records not playing card games, Albus!" she scolded.

"We're four days ahead of schedule!" he moaned but she shook her head.

"Master Dumbledore!" the elf shouted startling them both.

"That's Severus' elf" Minerva noticed and Albus nodded.

"What is it, Dolly?" he asked his eyes wide with worry.

"Professor Snape is sick and he can't help the boys!" she shouted and they were on their feet instantly, they both automatically casted protection charms and took the floo to Snape Manor.

"Severus!" Albus called gently but within a second he noticed the man shivering on the floor. "Oh, Severus! What's happened?" he asked feeling the wizards forehead, he was burning a high fever just like the boys.

"The boys…" he finally said gesturing towards the room.

"Boys?" Minerva asked confused.

"Draco" Severus explained realising they probably weren't aware he had both boys under the one roof.

"Minerva, help Severus, I need to check on them" Dumbledore ordered before moving quickly down the hall.

"Don't be loud, you'll scare Harry" Snape mumbled and Dumbledore obliged knowing how fragile the boy must still be. He found Harry fast asleep in his bed and his forehead didn't seem too hot, the potion had worked. He quickly checked on Draco who was awake and very unhappy.

"Uncle Sev!" he shouted dazed and in fear as the older man entered the room. "Help!" he cried watching the older wizard warily wondering if he knew anything about what his dad had planned for him.

"Shh it's Professor Dumbledore, stop shouting or you'll wake Harry" he said softly and Draco nodded before throwing up in the basin and glaring at Dumbledore defensively. "Here drink this" he said passing him the remainder of the fever reduction potion as the boy was burning up once more.

"Where's Severus?" he asked clearly uncomfortable about being weak in front of anyone that wasn't his godfather.

"He's not feeling too good as well" Dumbledore said gently. Draco shot a hostile-Malfoy look at him before turning over and trying to fall back asleep. Dumbledore smiled at the boy's feisty attitude and took that as his hint that the boy was okay and that he was to leave.

He headed into Severus room to find Minerva struggling to calm the man down. "His fever is so high he's confused" she said her eyes wide with concern.

"NO!" Severus shouted turning in the bed before throwing up in the basin Minerva had luckily thought to give him. "No stop…" he said clenching his eyes shut.

"Why is he saying that? I didn't do anything" Minerva asked but Dumbledore didn't reply, he already had a few ideas about what was going on and knew it was things he wouldn't want anyone knowing.

"Can you leave me with him and go watch the boys? I think Draco is awake" he suggested and she nodded "approach with caution, he's snappy" he smiled faintly.

Minerva nodded "I wouldn't expect him to be any different" she rolled her eyes and left the room.

"Severus can you hear me?" Dumbledore said gently touching the man's forehead.

"No! Stop…stop…" he cried slapping Dumbledore's hand away. "Dad" he gasped and Dumbledore knew exactly what was going through his mind.

"Severus it's Albus, you have to focus on me, your Dad isn't here" he soothed.

"Don't let him drink" he begged and Albus closed his eyes. He gently cast a silence spell over them as Severus grew more distressed. He was so disorientated he thought he was back with his abusive alcoholic father. Albus sat beside the bed and continued to soothe him and the second he was calm enough he poured a dreamless potion and a fever reduction potion down his throat and watched as the man settled almost instantly. "Harry…" he mumbled rolling over.

"Harry is asleep, he's fine" Albus reassured him before the man fell out the bed in an attempt to get to Harry.

"Draco…"

"He's fine too" Albus continued to reassure him until finally the black haired man fell to silence. He sat with him for about 20 minutes as his fever finally came down.

"How is he?" Minerva asked from the doorway.

"He's very poorly but hopefully it doesn't last too long" Albus said meeting her in the hallway and half closing the door.

"I've never seen him like that before" she said clearly shocked at how the normally composed and stern man had been.

"It's very unusual" Dumbledore replied, sadly he had seen it before, many years ago when the boy was still a student and got too drunk one night before blurting out his Dads abusive habits and throwing up on Dumbledore's desk, he cringed at the memory.

"Severus?" a voice asked.

"I think Harry is awake" Albus said moving quickly to check on the boy, Minerva followed amazed she'd just heard Harry call out for Severus, she didn't believe Albus when he told her how well they had both been getting on outside of the troubles of Hogwarts, maybe she was mistaken.

"Where's Severus" he asked as they entered the room.

"He's poorly so he's sleeping in his room" Dumbledore answered checking the boys temperature, it wasn't too high but he gave him a potion so he didn't end up reacting like Severus did.

Harry instantly began to panic, he had grown comfortable in his bubble with Severus and Draco and he didn't want anything to happen to the older wizard he now considered a parental figure. "No I want him!" Harry shouted as Dumbledore tried to calm him.

"It's okay, Harry" Draco said from the door stumbling into the room, he had heard Harry shouting and he had grown worried he was having a nightmare and Severus wasn't there to help.

"I told you to stay in bed!" Minerva scolded, but he wasn't listening, he crawled onto Harry's bed and Harry settled instantly to both the Professors shock.

"Are you okay, Draco?" Harry asked yawning lightly.

"Tired" Draco said simply and within 10 minutes both boys were asleep side by side, it was getting late and the professors began to wonder if Severus was spiking them with a potion to be nice to each other.

"What are we going to do? We can't leave them alone overnight" Minerva asked and Albus nodded in agreement.

"I think we are going to have to stay and try get some sleep here, I'll cast alarm charms so if they need us we are woken" he replied and she nodded. Luckily the Manor was huge and had plenty spare rooms. Albus took the one closest to Severus and Minerva stayed near the boys but they were all on the same hallway anyway. Snape was still fast asleep when Albus had one final check before turning in for the night.

. . .

The night was fairly uneventful, Severus woke to throw up a few times with Dumbledore by his side in a heartbeat but both boys slept peacefully clearly over the worst of the bug. Minerva checked on them every few hours anyway almost to make sure she wasn't going insane, Potter and Malfoy were willingly sharing a bed and giving each other much needed comfort since they lacked comfort from their guardian, she wouldn't have believed it if she didn't see it with her own eyes.

Severus woke early as usual but couldn't bring himself to get out of bed, his body was weak and reluctant to move. He felt a burst of anxiety at his now vulnerable state and his breathing became hoarse. What if Voldemort attacked? What if the death eaters came? He had totally forgotten Dumbledore was just down the hallway.

The door slowly opened and the older wizard entered with pumpkin juice and plain toast.

"Albus?" Severus asked confused.

"You were very poorly last night, Severus" he reminded the younger Wizard who nodded in agreement.

"How are the boys? Where are they?" he asked trying to get to them but Dumbledore forced him back down into the bed.

"In Harry's room, Minerva is watching them" He added.

"Harry will freak out at an unexpected guest and Draco will be hostile" he said alarmed and tried to move again but swayed with dizziness.

"Severus Snape, will you stay still!" Dumbledore scolded and Severus nodded in defeat.

"They settled instantly once Draco joined Harry in his bed, Harry stopped asking for you, Draco stopped throwing hostile glares and they fell asleep and are still peacefully sleeping" he insisted and Snape nodded almost amused "now eat please" he demanded gesturing the food.

"Good, sorry about Draco…he's well…he's Draco" he said rolling his eyes in defeat and the older man laughed, he knew how Draco was. He ate half a slice of toast and then fell back into a peaceful sleep. Albus left quietly to go check on the other professor and the boys.

Back in Harry's room they were both awake and watching TV contently, Minerva had left them to it still shocked at how well they were both getting on. Albus entered and Harry smiled.

"Professor Dumbledore!" He said excitedly, both boys were feeling a little bit better and had more life about them.

"Hello Harry, Draco" he greeted them. "How are you both?" he asked and Harry nodded.

"A little bit better" he replied with a smile.

"I'm fine" Draco said bluntly and Dumbledore smiled, Malfoy was back to his reserved self.

"Where's Severus?" Harry asked cautiously.

"He went back to sleep, he's not feeling as perky as you two today sadly" he said gently and they both nodded. Luckily it didn't seem to be a bug that lasted too long, especially in a wizard's body.

"I'm bored, let's do something" Draco moaned.

"Like what?" Harry asked and he shrugged.

"We could fly?" he suggested.

"Indeed you will not!" Minerva said from the doorway and Draco instantly rolled his eyes "You might take a funny turn, you both need food and a rest day" she said and Albus nodded in agreement. Harry was actually quite grateful she put a stop to Draco's plan, he didn't feel up to flying. He quickly got out of the bed and stomped back to his own room, within a few minutes his shower was on and the door was slammed. Harry instantly jumped out of bed and offered Dumbledore a sympathetic smile before heading into his own bathroom to shower as well.

. . .

The rest of the day was fairly relaxed, Draco stayed in his room finishing his homework while Harry snuggled up in the library with a book and stayed out the way. Dumbledore took it upon himself to borrow Snape's study to get some work done occasionally checking on the potions master who was looking a little bit better.

The library was huge and well-lit with the several large square windows that took up the middle part of one wall. There was a table by the window with a plant sitting on it. The other three walls were filled with neatly organised bookshelves, large black sofas took up the middle of the room and surrounded a giant red rug with another table on top of the rug. There was a huge staircase that twisted up to the second floor of the library that was also neatly organised with the modern oak bookshelves. Harry's favourite part about the second story was the double doors that opened onto a large balcony that overlooked the acres of fields. He sat on the large black sofa cuddled under a blanket and read one of the thousands of books occasionally stopping to look around the room, he was still in awe of Snape Manor.

A small door handle caught his attention on one of the bookshelves, it was well hidden but of course Harry noticed it, he quickly dropped the book and ran over to investigate. Part of the bookcase opened with a tug of the handle and he found another room inside, he gasped in excitement but also in fear, he still wasn't too good with tight spaces. He entered the smaller room and looked around, it was quite dark with only the light coming through the library door lighting it. It looked like it hadn't been touched in years, there were a few dusty potions books sitting on an old desk and a photo of Snape and…his mum, they looked about 15 and were in their uniforms, he looked at the photo and smiled, they both looked so happy. Harry jumped as the door swung shut and the room fell into darkness. "No" he gasped running towards the door but it wouldn't budge, he banged off the door repeatedly until his body ached and screamed until he ran out of voice but nobody heard.

Harry was immediately taken back to the days he was locked in the dark, dusty cupboard under the stairs. He couldn't breathe as the room grew smaller and smaller. He choked threw the tears and prayed someone would find him, but nobody came. "Help!" he screamed again before curling up in the far corner of the room.

Back in Severus' room he was finally up and about, although it was now five in the evening. He moved briskly to the living room to find Albus, all signs of illness were now totally gone and his robes floated behind him.

"Welcome back to the land of the living, Severus" Albus said smiling and Snape grunted, slightly embarrassed he had to let another human being look after him, even if it was Albus Dumbledore.

"Thanks…where are the boys?" he said changing the subject.

"Last I checked was a few hours ago, Draco was forcing Minerva to play exploding Snap and Harry was reading" he smiled.

"Exploding Snap?" he replied raising an eyebrow, he knew Draco would drop the sulky attitude as soon as he got bored and wanted attention.

"Yeah, I don't think it's Minerva's idea of fun, but he did complete his homework and that was the deal" Albus explained and Severus laughed lightly, only Draco would negotiate homework.

"I'll leave you to work, thank you, Albus" he said sincerely before leaving to check on both boys. He heard a bang and then a scream and then Draco laughing and realised the exploding snap match was now happening in the kitchen, he quickly made his way there to check on Minerva more than anything else.

"That's cheating!" she said and Draco laughed.

"No it isn't, the rules changed" he said rolling his eyes.

"You have to inform someone if you're changing the rules, Mr Malfoy!" she scolded but he wasn't listening, Draco didn't like losing even if it was just at a game.

"Hey, Uncle Sev" he said noticing Severus was watching them amused.

"Hello, are you feeling better?" he asked feeling the boys head; he had no temperature and seemed happy enough. Minerva smiled lightly seeing Severus Snape show affection to another human being, she had always known he was close to Draco but it was something neither of them was public about.

"I'm fine now" he said more concentrated on the game.

"Where's Harry?" he asked realising the smaller boy was missing.

"Library" Draco replied before another explosion went off.

Snape made his way to the library eager to catch up with the smaller boy but was surprised to see the room was completely empty, the small book on dragons was sitting on the sofa opened about 20 pages in. "Harry?" Snape called out but there was no reply. He made his way upstairs to check the balcony but he wasn't there either. "Harry?" he shouted again. He suddenly remembered his small secret room he used to use to hide from his Dad, but the door was shut and he knew Harry wouldn't allow the door to be closed I such a small room, his eyes widened as he ran over to the door.

Harry was distracted from his thoughts by the sound of his own name being shouted nearby. 'Uncle Vernon is coming' he thought to himself 'I must fight back' he told himself curled up in a small boy, he was totally disorientated with fear. The door opened and a giant dark figure entered.

"Harry?" Snape whispered noticing the small boy curled up in a ball with his fingers in his ears. He put a hand on the small boy's knee.

"NO!" he screamed and before he had time to take in who the figure was he attacked punching Snape hard in the side of the head. "Uncle No!"

"Harry stop!" he shouted grabbing both of the boys hands but it only made it worse as he lashed out with his feet instead. He quickly pulled the boy from the small room and into the light. "Open your eyes Harry" he coaxed and slowly the small boy opened his eyes, they were wide with terror.

"Sir?" he whimpered.

"It's just me" he said gesturing towards himself "What were you doing in there?" he asked but Harry didn't answer he just fell into his guardians open arms and hugged him.

"I thought he was coming back to hurt me, I was so scared and confused" he sobbed.

"Nobody here is going to hurt you, shh it's okay" he said running his fingers through the young teens hair as he began to settle.

Severus sat on the ground with the teen next to him and they chatted casually until Harry had finally calmed down, the boy settled until he heard Albus coming into the room.

"No!" he shouted noticing the figure before burying his head in his arms.

"Harry, it's just Professor Dumbledore" Albus said trying to comfort him but Harry was still too on edge to listen.

"Albus, go and I'll explain later" Snape pleaded and luckily the man left quickly without saying a word, Harry settled almost instantly.

After taking Harry back to his own room Severus quickly went to find Dumbledore hoping Harry hadn't caused too much offense "Sorry about that, Albus, he doesn't like tight spaces and found himself locked in the cupboard, he was a bit distressed" Severus explained as he entered the room.

"Is he okay?" Albus asked concerned.

Snape nodded quickly "He'll be fine, we've been working on the claustrophobia it is just taking time and patience" he said reassuringly and Albus smiled knowing Harry was safe in Severus' care.

After dinner the two other Professors said their goodbyes and made their way back to Hogwarts, it was obvious Severus wanted to get back to normal now he was feeling better.

. . .

The next day Severus sent Harry out to play while he asked Draco to sit with him in the living room. Harry didn't seem too happy about being left out but he obliged and went to the river.

"What is it?" Draco asked, his voice filled with concern but his eyes quickly saddened as Snape shook his head.

"Draco…" he said running his fingers through his hair, there was no easy way to tell the boy he would never be welcomed back to Malfoy Manor "Your Dad has decided if you won't go over to the dark side he doesn't want you" Severus said bluntly, he knew his choice of words would hurt the boy but he needed Draco to feel the hurt his father had caused in order to keep him on side.

"No…what?" Draco said as tears sprung to his eyes. "I don't want to be one of them!" He shouted, Snape quickly moved over to comfort him. "Why doesn't he love me?" he asked.

"He is a nasty man, but I love you" Snape said softly trying to calm the boy.

"Where am I going to live? If I'm not one of them…" He asked, his eyes were wide with fear.

"Well I was hoping you would want to stay with Harry and I?" Snape asked and Draco nodded before hugging him tightly.

"Why doesn't he want me for me? What did I do wrong, Uncle Sev?" he sniffled and Snape sighed squeezing the boy tightly.

"You didn't do anything, you are perfect how you are and you made the right decision" he soothed and Draco nodded.

"He never loved me" Draco gasped through tears.

"He does love you" Severus said trying to sound as convincing as possible, in the short time he had cared for Harry he could never imagine treating him the way the older Malfoy had, but Draco didn't need to hear that.

"He doesn't that's why he…" Draco said but stopped when he realised what he was saying.

"Why he what?" Snape asked and Draco pulled away.

He suddenly found a new confidence, it might have been from knowing Harrys situation but he wasn't sure "hits me" he blurted out before he could stop himself.

"Often?" Snape asked softly running his fingers through the teen's hair and he nodded, Snape had his suspicions.

"Almost every day, so I don't go soft" he explained and Snape's blood began to boil, Draco was always a lot softer than he let on and his father knew this, how could he?

"He will never hurt you again, I promise" Snape finally said realising he was out of his depth, he had two broken boys and he wasn't too sure he could fix them.

"I like it here with you and Harry" Draco finally admitted "I love my Dad but I'm glad I don't have to be hurt anymore" he admitted and Snape closed his eyes, he knew this wouldn't be an easy transition for the boy, his Dad was still out there upsetting the good so he would struggle to fit in with Harry's friends and he had denied the bad so he no longer would fit in with his own friends, it was going to be a difficult adjustment.

"You'll never feel that kind of pain again" Severus promised as Draco stood up composing himself.

"Where's Harry?" he finally asked.

"Outside flying I think" Severus replied and Draco's eyes lit up "I'm sure he'd love for you to join him" he suggested and Draco nodded, he had been desperate to fly with Harry since he had arrived.

Snape watched from the library balcony as both boys flew by ducking, diving and darting for the same snitch. Draco slightly lagged behind as Harry stood on his broom with his arm outstretched to grab the snitch, subconsciously he pulled out his wand so that if either fell he could help them but they didn't, Harry caught the snitch and cheered as they both dropped back down to the ground grinning, Draco didn't even seem mad Harry had beaten him. After a minute of casual conversation they released the snitch and round 2 broke out, after 15 minutes of flying Draco caught the snitch and Harry cheered for him as they called it a tie and headed back to the house.

Harry was met with Hedwig who was carrying a letter for him.

Dear Harry,

I hope you are well, I miss you! Ron and I are heading into muggle London tomorrow for some shopping and lunch before a trip to Diagon Alley for some final school supplies. If your uncle will allow you, please join us, we are meeting at 12 in the Leaky Cauldron. If you are joining us please owl back.

All my love,

Hermione xx

Harry's heart stopped, he realised they didn't even know of his current circumstances, he had been so content living in his new found bubble he had forgotten about school as well.

"What is it?" Draco asked.

"An invitation to hang out with Ron and Hermione tomorrow" he answered.

"Oh" Draco said sounding slightly disappointed "Are you going to go?" He asked.

"I'll need to ask Severus" he said heading towards his Study.

He gently knocked on the door. "Come in, Harry" Severus said softly. He entered the room to find Snape at the large desk.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked slightly distracted.

"Draco normally bangs on it and Dolly calls out" he explained and Harry smiled at how aware Severus was. "How can I help you, Harry?" he asked. He hesitated briefly, he never would have dared to ask his uncle for anything especially something that could be remotely fun, he took a deep breath and composed himself.

"Hermione has asked if I want to meet her and Ron tomorrow to go shopping and get lunch in London" he said quietly and Severus looked up curiously.

"Do you want to go?" Severus asked when he realised the boy was struggling for words, Harry nodded quickly and Severus smiled "As long as you don't go anywhere dangerous and come straight back if there's any trouble" he said simply and Harry's face lit up.

"Really?" he gasped excitedly and Severus nodded.

"Will you manage the floo to the Leaky Cauldron yourself?" Snape asked and Harry hesitated.

"Yeah I think so" he finally said.

"If you want I can take you there and then come back?" he offered but Harry shook his head.

"I think I'll be okay, I've done it many times now" he smiled softly.

"Okay well I'll give you money at breakfast tomorrow morning before you go" Snape said and Harry looked confused.

"Why?" he asked.

"So you can buy things, no doubt you'll all end up in Diagon Alley for school supplies" he stated, knowing Hermione they would spend most of it shopping for school supplies. He quickly realised the boy was planning on not buying anything and was just happy to spend time with his friends. "Is Draco going?" he asked cautiously and Harry frowned, he hadn't even considered if Draco would want to go.

"I'll ask him" he said quickly.

"Ask me what?" Draco said appearing in the doorway.

"Do you want to come tomorrow?" Harry asked and Draco instantly shook his head, he didn't fancy a day with Ron Weasley or the chance he could bump into his father, he knew he was often going to Knockturn Alley for one thing or another. "Are you sure?" Harry asked and he nodded.

"It's not my scene" he finally said and Harry nodded, he understood the boy's unspoken reasons.

"We'll do something just us, Draco" Severus smiled and the boy's face lit up.

. . .

Harry couldn't sleep that night he was so excited, he barely ever got to hang out with his friends outside of school and he couldn't wait to explore muggle London. Restlessly he went to the kitchen for a glass of water as quietly as he could. He quickly got the glass and headed back towards his room when he met Severus in the hallway. "Did you have a nightmare?" he asked and Harry shook his head.

"Did I wake you?" he finally asked feeling slightly guilty but Severus shook his head.

"It's only 11, I've been creating lesson plans" Severuse said. "Why are you still up?" he asked.

"I can't sleep" he replied simply.

"I gathered that" Severus said sarcastically and Harry scowled at him. "Is there a reason you can't sleep?" he asked gently.

"I'm just excited for tomorrow, I've never really hung out with my friends properly outside school, just us with no drama or homework" he said smiling and getting even more excited at the thought of it.

"Come on, I'll sit with you for a bit" Severus said shaking his head amused.

He sat on the edge of Harry's bed listening to the teen talk about everything they were going to do tomorrow. They were going to go to all the muggle shops they could and try lots of new food. Severus was beginning to realise how grateful this boy was for the simplest of things and he was in awe of how much love he had to offer considering everything his uncle had done, he was caring and understanding. He watched as the boy finally drifted into a peaceful sleep, once he was sure the boy wouldn't wake he settled in his own bed and quickly fell asleep. Tomorrow was definitely going to be a busy day.

 **Okay! Here is another chapter, this one is the same as the original but I have a lot to add and change in later chapters so I decided to keep this one the same since it flows with the previous chapter.**

 **I'd like to say thank you to absolutely everyone that has left a review, it amazes me people actually read what I write never mind take time out of their day to leave comments so thank you! To address one specific comment I'm very much aware Tom wouldn't be back at this point but it's a fanfiction and as stated in the first author notes I've changed things but meant with no disrespect : )**

 **Also something slightly more random; I created a twitter (mainly for following youtubers) but I decided it could also double up as a way of communication if anybody wanted to know when chapters are going up or to ask questions or chat easier. It's slythermallow : )**


	6. Chapter 6 - Family

"Okay now remember the first sign of trouble and you come home, don't do anything stupid and no ridiculous adventures" Severus said sternly as Harry was putting on his coat Severus bought him the other week; it was a thin, stylish maroon coat with no hood and he also had new dark blue jeans and nike trainers to match, he actually looked fashionable for once.

"Yes" Harry said absently not paying much attention.

"I'm serious" Snape warned but he could tell the boy was too excited to listen.

"I won't do anything stupid" Harry finally said when he noticed his guardians glare "can I go now?" he asked excitedly.

Snape simply nodded "have fun" he said dismissing the teen with a small eye roll.

"Bye Sir!" Harry said before throwing the floo powder and arriving at the leaky cauldron.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted and before he could react she tackled him into a hug, Ron was quick to follow and the three had finally been reunited after nearly two months.

"How are you guys?" Harry asked, he was smiling so hard his cheeks hurt.

"We are great, mate! How is your uncle treating you? You actually look so healthy" Ron asked but Hermione only frowned realising Harry hadn't come from his relative's household since he used the floo. They all sat down and ordered a cola, they decided a quick catch up before shopping was needed.

"Guys…" Harry said realising he wasn't going to be able to hide his new home life forever. "I have something to tell you, you're probably not going to believe it though" he said already dreading Ron's reaction.

"Is something wrong?" Hermione asked, her voice was laced with concern.

"I'm not living with my Uncle anymore" he said simply and Hermione nodded.

"Why not?" Ron asked sounding almost happy.

Harry took a deep breath "He was really horrible to me, guys, more than I've ever let on, he was constantly hitting me and I honestly thought I was going to die this summer" he said choking slightly, Severus had told him briefly to be honest with them and reminded him none of it was his fault and that they would understand.

"Harry…" Hermione said lost for words. "Why didn't you tell us?" she said in an almost whisper looking hurt.

"I was scared" Harry explained "But I'm okay now, I have a new home and I'm happy now" he said smiling. "I mean the past still hurts don't get me wrong but I'm safe now" he said.

"Where are you living?" Ron asked.

"Okay this is where it gets even weirder" Harry laughed nervously.

"Go on" Hermione prodded.

"Dumbledore had sent Snape to check on me and when he found out what was happening he took me from the Dursley's and to his house" he said quietly.

"Snape kidnapped you?" Ron gasped and Harry laughed.

"No, Dumbledore knows I'm there he visited the other day actually" he said reassuringly "Snape is my new guardian"

"Are you sure he hasn't kidnapped you?" Ron prodded and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Why would he let me come out with you if he had?" Harry pointed out but Ron only shrugged in response "He is honestly a different person outside of school; he is kind and really understanding" he said convincingly but it was obvious Ron still wasn't keen, but he had reacted better than Harry anticipated.

"And you are truly happy?" Hermione asked needing some more reassurance.

"Honestly I am, I've been having some nightmares about my uncle…" he said flinching at the memory "But Snape normally keeps me company until I fall back asleep so I'm not by myself" he said simply leaving out the details.

"Harry…" Ron said lost for words, Harry knew he was never going to convince Ron in one day and it was going to take a lot of time and Ron would have to see for himself that Snape wasn't holding him hostage.

"You guys need to visit, we have a library with lots of books and lots of space to fly" he offered and Hermione nodded.

"We would love that, Harry" she said looking at Ron who eventually nodded.

"Isn't it boring, just you and Snape?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry took a breath, if Ron hadn't flipped before he would at this next bit. "Draco is with us too" he blurted out quickly.

"What!?" Ron shouted drawing attention to them "Draco Malfoy?" he hissed.

"He's nicer now" Harry said defensively "I reacted the same as you are now, but he isn't that bad outside school"

"Are you under a curse, Harry?" Ron snapped and Hermione punched him on the arm.

"Honestly, just wait and see it for yourself then, now that it's out in the open can we please go have an amazing day I've been really excited about it" he smiled and they both returned his smile.

They made their way to the centre of Muggle London and into a Waterstones, Ron rolled his eyes clearly not amused at being in a book store but Hermione was in her element, she still loved a good muggle story. "World's best dad jokes!" Ron exclaimed picking up a book and within minutes Harry and Ron were sitting on a beanbag laughing at the bad jokes while Hermione looked for 'proper' books.

"I used to have a job at a calendar factory but I got the sack because I took a couple of days off" Ron read out as Harry cringed at how bad it was.

Later they found themselves in a CD shop laughing at Ron cringing at muggle music and before they knew it they were in a small local restaurant having lunch.

"So what have you been doing this summer?" Hermione asked Harry.

"Well I pretty much finished my homework before Snape even saved me so I've spent most of it relaxing" he said and Hermione's eyes grew wide. "I've been flying a lot, there's also a river so I've been swimming…oh I also got my very own TV but I don't watch it a lot" he added and both his friends eyes widened.

"Snape owns a TV?" Ron said almost spitting out his food.

"He bought it for me, so I'd feel more at home although Draco uses it more" Harry said.

Ron scoffed "of course Malfoy would steal your TV!"

"He didn't, it's in my room. He normally watches it and I normally read or sometimes we'll both watch it or just play chess" he shrugged, Ron was going to take a lot of convincing. "What have you both been doing?" he asked hoping to change the subject away from Draco and Snape.

"I went to Greece with my parents for two weeks, it was beautiful and filled with interesting history" Hermione said "And I've finally finished my homework and I also redecorated my room" she smiled, Harry thought she was looking pretty refreshed.

"Mum and Dad went to visit Charlie so Percy got left in charge and nobody would listen to him. Fred and George accidentally turned him into a donkey and mum got really mad" Ron said with wide eyes clearly remembering his angry mother and Harry and Hermione broke into fits of laughter. "It's not funny! He still goes 'heehaw' when he coughs!" Ron said noticing the tears of laughter running down his friend's cheeks.

After lunch they decided to do some sight-seeing, they took plenty of pictures on Hermione's camera of Big Ben, The London Eye and lots of street performers. Harry and Ron were in awe, they'd both never seen anything like it. Hermione quickly lost count of how many times Ron said "Bloody hell" whilst gasping at everything Harry and Hermione considered normal. The sun was shining brightly as they strolled along the riverside eating their ice cream.

"So what does Snape spend most of his time doing?" Ron asked curiously.

"What do you mean?" Harry asked.

"Does he just brew potions all the time?" Ron added.

Hermione rolled her eyes "don't be stupid, Ron"

"Well he might!"

"He's spent a lot of the last few weeks marking but now he spends most of his time at his office window with his wand in his hand in case we fall off our brooms. He doesn't think we've noticed though" he smiled lightly at the professor's overprotective tendencies when it comes to quidditch.

"Is he strict?" Ron prodded.

"Not particularly" Harry shrugged "he has rules about not leaving our mess for the house elf to clean up and standard things like that but other than that he's pretty relaxed about everything"

"Are you sure this is Snape?" Ron asked.

"It sounds like you're truly happy, Harry" Hermione butted in and Harry offered her a small smile.

"You'll need to come see mum soon, she's been worried about you" Ron added.

"I'd love that!" Harry smiled, he missed the burrow a lot "you need to come see where I live now"

"Snape would kill me" Ron muttered.

"He wouldn't" Harry said rolling his eyes "why don't you come and stay over soon? I'll ask Snape" Harry said smiling.

"I'd have to ask mum" Ron said simply not entirely sure about spending time in Snape's company.

"We'll I'd love to" Hermione butted in "my parents won't mind"

"Great!" Harry smiled widely.

. . .

The next day after breakfast the boys got dressed and headed down to the river, Severus had told them no swimming as it was cold but they were allowed to play in the treehouse, they decided they were going to clean it up a little bit. Harry quickly climbed the ladder and began cleaning away the dust and spider webs, considering it hadn't been used in over 20 years it still looked relatively looked after.

Draco took to wiping down the windowsills. He began looking around at the treehouse curiously and he noticed it was still in good condition other than the paint beginning to chip. "Should we paint it?" Draco finally asked wiping some sweat from his forehead. Harry smiled, Draco hadn't been too fond of getting his hands dirty originally, he had begged Severus to just use magic but he told them no. However he seemed to be enjoying himself now.

"We would need to ask Severus" Harry finally answered, he'd become lost in thought, did he want to paint it? "I don't want to paint over that" he said pointing at his mother and Severus' names both written under the windowsill with a drawing of a wand.

"Yeah obviously…" Draco replied, he wasn't that stupid as to paint over something so personal.

Harry looked at the shabby sofa's, they were dated and definitely ready to be replaced and suddenly he thought of something better "We should replace the sofas with beanbags" Harry suggested grinning at his new amazing idea.

"A what?" Draco asked, his eyes narrow with confusion.

"You don't know what a beanbag is?" Harry asked trying to suppress his laugh but Draco noticed and frowned. "It's kind of like a giant pillow" Harry explained sitting down on the floor, he was tired already from cleaning.

"Filled with beans?" Draco asked "That's pretty disgusting" he scoffed throwing the rag down on the ground, he had also had enough.

"Not actual beans, I'll show you later" Harry said rubbing his eyes.

"Do you want to head back? You're looking tired" Draco asked concerned before getting back up and pulling Harry to his feet.

"Yeah we can ask about paining the treehouse" He said and they both made their way back to the manor slowly messing around in the woods as they went.

Snape was sitting in the living room reading when both boys entered."Has something happened?" He asked noticing both boys looked exhausted.

"I'm just tired" Harry said sitting down next to his guardian on the sofa.

"I hope you're not getting sick again" Severus mumbled more to himself as he put his hand on the teen's forehead but he felt okay.

"Uncle Sev…what's a beanbag?" Draco asked still entirely confused at the concept of a beanbag causing Harry to laugh lightly.

"It's a muggle seat, a bit like a cushion" he tried to explain but really he wasn't too sure. "Why, do you want one?" Severus asked slightly amused at his frowning godson. "It really doesn't have actual beans in it" he emphasized and Draco nodded.

"We want some for the treehouse, we're making it more us" he explained and Severus smiled, it was nice he could pass his and Lily's den on to Harry and Draco. "Also can we paint it?" Draco asked nervously.

"If you want to, let's make you a bean bag" Severus said taking his wand out and with a few flicks of his wand two cushions turned into giant beanbags. Draco quickly jumped onto the beanbag and sunk into it.

"It feels weird" he said cringing but relaxed into it.

"Let's take them down, Draco!" Harry said excitedly and Draco nodded. They both tried to pick up separate beanbags but failed miserably. Severus quickly picked up one of the beanbags making it look easy and they both glared at him. With a wave of his wand the other beanbag became lighter and the boys lifted it together and they all make their way down towards the treehouse.

"This is taking ages" Draco moaned as they approached the river.

"We're nearly there, boys" Severus called back, he had made his way further ahead to deliberately annoy them both as they lagged behind.

"Easy for you to say" Draco muttered dropping the beanbag "not everybody is six foot tall and likes to behave like Mr Muscles"

Harry giggled lightly, he had noticed quickly Snape was trying to annoy Draco and it was working, the blonde had admitted defeat and was now standing with his arms crossed.

"What's the hold up?" Severus called back.

"It's too heavy!" Draco announced huffing loudly.

"Come on you two!" Snape replied.

With a loud groan Draco picked up his side of the giant cushion and again they began walking and eventually the three of them were reunited outside the treehouse. They made their way to the ladder and Harry stepped onto it balancing while holding the beanbag.

"Stop!" Severus said quickly and both boys froze, with another wave of his wand the beanbags levitated and floated up into the treehouse.

"Couldn't we have done that this entire time instead of carrying them?" Draco glared and Harry nodded in agreement, they were both burnt out.

"Where's the fun in that?" Severus smirked as they both glared "When Lily and I used to come here, we were still very much underage, we were 9 when we first started building it so you can imagine magic wasn't an option and using our hands and will power was so much more rewarding" he said gently and Harry nodded.

"Well I don't feel rewarded" Draco muttered crossing his arms. "And why levitate them last minute" he argued.

Severus rolled his eyes "So you didn't fall" he said simply and Draco admitted defeat and made his way into the treehouse, both Harry and Severus followed. Severus gasped at how fresh the treehouse was looking, they really were doing a good job. He looked out the window to the river and remembered the image of Lily skipping across the stones to meet him, it was still a sad thought and he felt a lump forming in his throat, what he would give to go back to that moment one more time. He looked back at the boys, they were bickering over how the beanbags would be organized, eventually Draco retreated and Harry dragged them to where he wanted them, Severus smiled.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Harry asked moving over to him unaware Draco was now dragging the beanbags back to where he wanted them.

"This place holds a lot of memories" Severus answered and Harry nodded knowing what he meant. He quickly became distracted from his guardian when he noticed Draco had moved the beanbags and was sitting smugly on one of them.

"Hey!" he shouted before running over and shoving him playfully. "We agreed they'd go over there!" he said pointing to the spot he'd left them before, Draco rolled his eyes before crossing his arms showing his refusal to move.

"No you demanded that" Draco said.

"Okay you get one each and you choose where your own one goes or they'll be turned back into cushions" Severus said slightly more stern and they both understood he wasn't joking, Harry dramatically dragged his one back to the other side of the treehouse.

. . .

A week later and it was the morning of Harry's 14th Birthday although to Severus surprise the boy hadn't mentioned it once and he began to worry the boy had forgotten his own birthday. He found himself up early wrapping a few of the boys final presents before blowing up balloons in the living room, Draco who always woke before Harry stumbled tiredly into the living room and grew wide eyed at all the balloons. "What is it?" Severus asked looking slightly concerned.

"I've never been allowed balloons before, they're so cool!" he said kicking one of the balloons nearly knocking over a few glass ornaments. "oops" he said smiling shyly.

Severus just rolled his eyes "that's probably why you weren't allowed them" he joked but knew fine well it would have been Malfoy not wanting the young boy to go soft, luckily he had been unsuccessful. "Help me blow the last few up" he said handing the boy a gold balloon, he instantly frowned realizing it was all Gryffindor colors. "Don't worry you can have green ones on your birthday now blow up the balloon" Snape ordered and Draco looked slightly confused, he didn't know how to blow it up.

"Uncle Sev…" he finally said, a memory caught his full attention and he thought back to the time he had asked his Dad how ride a bike and the older Malfoy told him he shouldn't be so stupid and things like that should come automatically, he cringed remembering how he fell off the bike and cut his knee open to his Dads embarrassment. He wasn't going to embarrass himself again by asking another question "I don't want to blow up stupid balloons!" he said before storming out of the room with the balloon still in his hand. Severus raised a brow in confusion at his godson's sudden outburst, he quickly got up and followed him out the room.

"Draco…" he said cautiously entering the kitchen to find the boy huffing at the table.

"I already said I'm not helping!" he hissed and looked away.

"Okay, if you feel that strongly about it I won't make you, but I feel you owe me a reason as to why you won't help" he said sitting down beside his godson, he wanted to tell him off for his attitude problem but realized there was more to it.

"I just don't like blowing up balloons" he stuttered before frowning at his godfather.

"Don't like blowing up balloons or don't know how to?" Severus asked clicking on if he'd never really been allowed balloons he wouldn't know.

"Fine I don't know how, go ahead and laugh at me" he said looking away further and Severus heart sunk.

"I'm not going to laugh at you for not knowing how to do something, nobody knows how to do everything, Draco" he said softly turning the blonde boys face back to meet his "But what I will do is teach you how to blow them up so that if the situation occurs in the future you know what to do" he said and the boy smiled shyly at him, for the next ten minutes they sat together at the table blowing up the final few balloons before placing them neatly throughout the living room and kitchen. Severus went into the top cupboard and pulled out a huge birthday cake with "Happy Birthday Harry" written on it in big betters. Draco ran back to his room and quickly retrieved his own present for the boy and placed it beside a few others.

There was a small bang from the floo as the Weasleys and Hermione all appeared with presents looking as excited as Severus felt deep down, he couldn't wait for the boy to have a proper birthday. "Hello, Severus" Molly greeted him and he nodded and smiled in return, he still wasn't used to the idea of his students running around his home.

"Bloody hell" Ron gasped looking around the gigantic house, he had never seen anything quite like it before.

"Ronald!" Mrs Weasley scolded.

"Where's Harry?" George asked stepping forward.

"He's a late sleeper, now you're all here I'll go wake him up. Draco, show our guests into the dining room" he said and Draco nodded looking slightly bemused, he still wasn't keen on the Weasleys and they weren't keen on him. He led them into the huge dining room and they all looked around in awe, Draco rolled his eyes and sat at the table.

Severus found Harry still fast asleep in the large bed, he looked tiny in it. He sat on the edge of the bed beside Harry and slowly began to rub his back to wake him up, Harry stirred instantly and groaned, he was planning on spending today by himself because he knew everyone would forget about his birthday and it seemed to be the day he missed his parents the most. "Harry breakfast will be served in 5" he said softly before standing up and leaving the room, he could tell the boy was going to be huffy.

He headed back down to the dining room and took a seat at the table, within minutes Harry entered rubbing his eyes. "SURPRISE!" everyone shouted and he jumped and blinked in confusion, all his friends and family were sitting round the large table waiting for him to join them.

"What? What are you all doing?" he finally asked still slightly confused.

"Happy Birthday" Severus finally said and Harry gasped, they hadn't forgotten, none of them had.

"You all remembered" he said grinning ear to ear before taking a seat beside Draco. "You're all here, I can't believe it!" he said again a little bit lost for words.

They quickly started eating breakfast, there was a mix of pretty much everything at the table and the conversation seemed to flow naturally, Hermione was using the opportunity to quiz Severus on potions questions and although he looked slightly bemused he hid it well and answered them as she took mental notes, finally he agreed to let her come over one evening so she could pick his brains and she was more than thrilled, Ron and Draco were surprisingly getting on well, they were bickering gently over quidditch teams and Harry grinned at them before siding with Ron to Draco's disgust, Molly spent most her time watching the twins paranoid they'd pull some kind of prank even inside such a beautiful home.

After breakfast Harry began opening his presents, he hadn't been expecting anything and was a little speechless. He gasped and cheered at the quidditch set he'd been given from Draco and he couldn't wait to use it later, they'd all decided they would break into teams and have a game, Hermione gave him a collection of books that he also seemed happy about, he thought Severus would enjoy reading them with him and he nodded in approval. The Weasleys had given up a new home knitted scarf, a warm coat and his very own chess set. Severus gave his gifts last he had totally spoiled the young gryffindor with various games and books but the one thing that caught Harrys attention was a small bottle of liquid "Keep it safe and I'll show you what it does tonight" Severus said gently and he nodded, Molly was looking at Snape in approval, clearly she knew what the mystery item was.

"Can we cut the cake now?" Ron asked growing impatient and Molly smacked him quickly "Bloody hell, I was only asking" he said rubbing the side of his head and Harry and Hermione giggled quietly, Ron shot them a glare but it only made them giggle more.

"We can cut it once everyone is here, Mr Weasley" Severus insisted. "A few couldn't join till after breakfast"

"Who else is coming?" Harry asked confused.

"Ello 'Arry!" A voice from behind said and Harry screamed with excitement immediately knowing it was Hagrid, he ran and bear hugged the giant, Dumbledore and Minerva had also entered and Harry grinned at Severus who raised an eyebrow in amusement, although his heart slightly sunk at how excited the boy was, he shouldn't feel surprised at how loved he was.

"For goodness sake, Seamus!" Dean bellowed from the hallway and Dumbledore sighed.

"Keep up boys" he finally said as both the students rushed into the dining room and gave Harry gifts, he quickly put them down and hugged his friends, he looked over at Draco who was looking less amused by the second, he offered him a smile realizing how uncomfortable he'd feel if it was the other way around and Crabbe and Goyle had just appeared in his house.

"Neville?" Harry asked looking at Severus who shook his head.

"Couldn't make it" he replied offering the boy a small smile.

"I think that's everyone," Harry said making his way back to the table with his two Professors, the only other person he would really want there he knew couldn't come, he quickly shook the thought from his head not wanting to get upset, he knew he would see him soon, when the time was right.

"There's still more I've invited, they're due any second" Severus said grinning slightly at Harry's confusion, Harry knew if it was anymore students they'd have come through with Dumbledore and he really couldn't think of anyone else who would be able to make it.

"Hello, Harry" A voice said from behind and he turned to see Professor Lupin smiling softly at him.

"Sir!" he said running up and hugging him gently. "I can't believe you're here!" he gasped "I've missed you" he said before letting the man go and smiling back at Severus.

"How have you been, my boy?" Remus asked taking in how well Harry looked, he had his doubts about Harry staying with Severus but he could tell he had made the right decision not to protest.

"I'm great!" Harry beamed.

"Hey, Kiddo" A voice from behind said as another man entered the room and Harry's eyes grew wide, he knew that voice instantly. He turned around to see the one man he really wanted to see today, he blinked rapidly 'I must be dreaming' he thought to himself as the man stood grinning at him. "Do I get a hug?" he finally asked and it sunk in, he was here.

"Sirius!" Harry finally screamed before grabbing his godfather in a massive bear hug. "You're here, you're here…you're actually here" Harry repeatedly several times refusing to let the man go. He felt the tears slowly fall down his face; he hadn't been able to see his godfather much as he was still technically a fugitive and he had been missing him terribly.

"I'm sorry I couldn't see you sooner" he apologized but Harry didn't care, he was here on his birthday and that was all that mattered to him.

"You're here now" he finally said grinning, he wiped away his tears feeling slightly stupid.

"I also didn't have a chance to get you a present, we will go shopping soon, I promise" Harry shook his head; he wasn't fussed about presents, he was just happy to finally be reunited with his godfather. "You see I've been at the ministry a lot the past few weeks sorting things out, I'm a free man now" he said and Harry screamed, this was the best birthday present he could have wished for.

"We finally get to be together" Harry whispered, still expecting to wake up from a dream.

After the cake was cut and they all settled down the students went outside for a game of quidditch. They split themselves into teams, Harry was his teams seeker, Ron was the goalie, Fred was their defense and Ginny was their striker, the other team had Draco seeking, Seamus in goals, George in defense and Dean as their striker, Hermione sat with the adults on the patio and watched the game unfold, under no circumstances was she getting on a broom.

The game lasted about an hour as everyone battled intensely, you would swear it was a proper match at school with how serious everybody took it. Harry and Draco had been through the trees, over the river, in the fields and over the house chasing the snitch skillfully while Ginny hammered shot after shot past Seamus who was getting increasingly irritated, Harry did have to admit he did have the better team as neither Seamus or Dean played and Ginny was a natural after living with all boys. Harry finally caught the snitch ending the game as the adults all cheered as they made their way back to the patio.

"High 5 kiddo!" Siruis said and Harry reacted immediately with an over dramatic high5. "I never knew you played so well" he said almost shocked.

"I've been on the team since I was 11" he finally said and Sirius eyes widened.

"You already play so much better than your Dad did, he would be so proud of you" he said and Harry smiled, he knew his Dad was an amazing seeker.

Harry was grinning ear to ear until he looked over at Severus, he could tell his guardian was feeling slightly awkward about Sirius' new found freedom and having so many people in the house in general. "Look at this!" he said running over to Severus remembering his engraved snitch with his name on it. Severus wrapped an arm around him and looked at the snitch curiously; he'd never actually been too up close with one before, the game always made him slightly uncomfortable. He noticed Sirius look of confusion at their interaction but he seemed to let it go, he knew they'd have to speak about it at some point and it would be a lot for both of them to adjust to.

. . .

Later that night everyone left and it was just Severus and his two boys again, Draco was already passed out on the sofa completely exhausted, he'd been slightly on edge all day knowing everyone was uncomfortable with his presence hadn't been easy, bud he'd grown quite fond of Molly Weasley.

"Can you show me what this is now?" Harry asked holding up the little bottle and Severus nodded, he had debated long and hard with himself on whether or not to give Harry this but he decided it would cause more comfort than pain. He lead Harry to his laboratory, Harry looked around in amazement at the large, clean white room that he had never truly taken in before. Snape led him over to what looked like a large bowl of magical water.

"This is a pensieve…" Severus started to explain as Harry looked at it in awe "It allows you to view memories from the past if you put a tear or a strand of hair into it" he said softly "Now I mean it when I say you can only view, whatever is in the memory won't be able to interact with you, almost like TV" he explained and Harry nodded, he was now slightly nervous. Severus took the little bottle from Harry and poured the few drops of liquid into the pensieve. Severus directed Harry to drop his head into the pensieve and together they both entered the memory.

They found themselves outside the treehouse standing by the trees behind the swing, Harry looked around and saw a small boy, dressed in all black with black hair sitting on the wing, he looked content in his own little world swinging gently, he looked across the river and saw a girl with ginger hair and bright green eyes jumping over the stones, she wobbled on one of them but managed to regain her balance.

"Mum?" Harry whispered to Severus who nodded, without noticing he had taken Severus' hand needing to feel close to somebody he could touch.

"Severus! Guess what!" She shouted almost breaking into a near run on the wobbly stones.

"Careful, Lily, you'll fall in" the boy said quickly getting to his feet and reaching his hand out to take hers, he quickly pulled her onto dry land and let her hand go.

"Thanks, Severus" She said smiling at him softly. "Look what I got!" she said excitedly before taking his hand again and pulling him towards the treehouse, they sat on the ground outside it as she pulled a piece of paper from her bag "It's my Hogwarts letter!" she said excitedly and Severus face broke into a huge grin.

"I told you it would come!" he said excitedly "I can't wait it's going to be great, you will love it Lily!" he said reading over her letter. "I can't wait to go to Hogsmeade" he said and continued rattling on about all the things he couldn't wait to do together while Lily nodded looking slightly concerned. "Are you okay?" he finally asked and she nodded.

"What if I don't fit in?" she asked and he sighed.

"Lily I've already told you, everyone will love you" he said reassuringly taking her hand, they got to their feet after a minute or so and Lily sat on the swing while Severus sat on a small bench writing in a journal. Harry watched them in awe, they looked so content in each-others company and it was obvious at that point how much Severus had truly cared for his mum, he reassured her the same way he sometimes had to reassure Harry and Draco quite often.

The memory slowly faded and Harry looked around, they were now at the ministry he looked around to see Professor Dumbledore and a few other people sitting around a table, but one man caught his eye, his Dad, he looked a lot less interested in the meeting and he noticed Snape kept glaring at him. "He looks like me" Harry whispered and Severus nodded. The meeting ended quickly and the door to the right of the room opened, a young red head entered, her face was glowing and Harry thought at that moment she looked like an angel.

"Lily" James said leaving the table and hugging her tightly before looking at the small bundle in her arms, she was holding a two week old baby Harry who was sleeping peacefully. She gently cradled her son who didn't stir once.

"Hello, sweetie, we missed you" she said kissing him softly on the cheek.

"Is this baby Harry?" Dumbledore asked bounding across the room with excitement. Lily nodded with pride and positioned Harry so Dumbledore could get a good look. "Why look at him!" he gasped in excitement.

"Would you like to hold him?" Lily asked and his eyes grew wide with excitement as he nodded, Lily gently passed baby Harry over to him and Harry woke instantly but didn't cry, he just looked at the bearded man in awe.

"You know, I already have a massive feeling this baby is going to be an amazingly talented wizard one day" Dumbledore said looking contently at Harry who was still watching him.

"Why's that?" James asked stroking Harrys head softly.

"He's special, I can just tell" Dumbledore said shrugging and James smiled softly at Lily who nodded in agreement.

Severus looked down at Harry who was watching the scene with wide eyes and an open mouth, for the first time in his life he was beginning to realize he had felt love before Severus he was just too young to remember it. The memory slowly faded and they were back in Snape's laboratory. He looked down at Harry instantly to see how the boy was going to react but he didn't say anything, he quickly turned and hugged Severus who hugged him tightly. "Thank you" he whispered and he felt Severus nod. For the first time Harry had really gotten to see where he'd come from, his Mum and Dad loved him, they wanted him.

They headed back to the living room to find Draco still passed out in the same place, Severus rolled his eyes at this boys ability to fall asleep anywhere. He noticed Harry was rubbing his eyes as well, clearly both of them needed a long sleep after such a busy day. He carefully picked up Draco and he instantly frowned in his sleep at the contact. "It's just me" Severus whispered and he settled back into a deep sleep. Severus gestured Harry upstairs and after putting Draco in his own room he quickly came through to say goodnight to Harry but in the 5 minutes he had been away Harry had completely fallen asleep peacefully smiling at how perfect the day had been.

 **Okay so I've finally managed to post this chapter! Those that have read the original might notice I've taken the part with Vernon out, it just didn't work for me this time and I decided they all needed a break : )**

 **I'm sorry it took me forever to post this chapter, life got busy so I've been writing whenever I can even if it's only for half an hour at a time, as always thank you for your patience and I hope you enjoyed this chapter : ) the next few chapters are mostly written, I'm just adding bits and pieces before I upload again so hopefully it won't be too long!**

 **Twitter updates Slythermallow**


	7. Chapter 7 - Off days

Harry flicked aimlessly through a quidditch magazine in his room, he couldn't pinpoint exactly what had caused his mood to fall and this on its' own seemed to be making his bad mood even worse. He missed his parents, but in a different way to how he usually missed them. Normally Harry missed his parents because everything was going wrong and he wished for someone to comfort him and help fix what was wrong but right now everything was right; Severus and Draco truly had given him a family and with Sirius being free he only wished his parents were here to see it and to enjoy it with him.

His birthday a few days before had also been completely perfect, it was the first time Harry could every recall everybody he loved being in the one room and again he wished his mum could have been there, to give Severus a friend if nothing else.

He sighed turning his attention to how great everything was and he could feel himself getting angry at himself for being so ungrateful and emotional when nothing was really wrong.

"Is something wrong?" Severus asked appearing in the doorway and Harry jumped slightly, he had been so lost in thought he didn't hear Snape knock.

"Not really" Harry mumbled throwing down the magazine and sitting up to face his guardian.

"Are you sure?" Severus asked sitting at the edge of the bed.

Harry sighed lightly and looked away "I don't know what's wrong" he muttered.

Severus watched the teen carefully, it was clear by Harry's tone he really didn't know what was wrong "maybe you're having an off day" he suggested and Harry's head instantly shot up.

"An off day?" he repeated.

"Everybody has them" Severus confirmed 'more so hormonal teenagers' he said in his head instead of out loud not wanting to set the teen off. He remembered the 'off days' well from being younger and although nothing was wrong the only thing that ever helped him was his own bed and reading.

"Maybe" Harry shrugged.

Severus gave him a small smile and left the room, he made his way down to the living room trying to think of a way to cheer the teen up, normally Draco would be able to easily distract the teen but he was spending the evening at Hogwarts studying transfiguration with Professor McGonagall. Severus smiled in approval at himself as an idea shot into his head, with a flick of his wand all the lights in the living room dimmed down and he made his way into the kitchen. There was a small pop as Dolly appeared.

"Does Master Snape need food?" she asked watching him carefully.

"I'm just making a pizza" he said distractedly.

"Dolly can do that" the small elf said.

"It's okay, have the night off" he said dismissively, he wanted to make the pizza the same way his mother used to make it when he was having a tough time.

Within half an hour the pizza was in the oven along with some garlic bread Severus had decided to make last minute and he smiled to himself triumphantly before returning to the living room with two large bowls; one filled with popcorn and the other crisps.

Quickly he made his way upstairs to carry out the next part of his plan. He made his way into one of the spare rooms and began pulling all the covers and pillows off the bed before throwing them into the hallway.

Harry sat staring at the ceiling, he could feel his mind turning to Voldemort and he shut his eyes willing himself to snap out of his mood. He only sat up when heard the thuds form outside his room and he frowned lightly wondering what his guardian was doing, eventually curiosity got the better of him and he climbed off the bed to see what Snape was doing. His eyes widened at the mess in the hallway, there were multiple pillows on the floor and Harry's eyes widened further at the site of Severus throwing them all downstairs.

"What are you doing?" Harry asked cautiously slightly concerned the potions master had gone insane.

"Making a nest" Severus answered as if that was an ordinary answer for such a strange situation.

"A nest?" Harry asked, _he had definitely gone insane._

"Yes"

"Like for a bird?" Harry asked watching as Severus threw the last few pillows downstairs.

"It's for us" Severus explained.

Harry stared at Severus expecting him to explain why they needed a 'nest' but his guardian only smiled back with no explanation "Are you feeling okay?" Harry asked and to his surprise Severus let out a small laugh.

"Follow me" he said simply and Harry quickly followed the professor downstairs and into the living room, he soon noticed Severus had enlarged the size of the sofa and it was filled with blankets and pillows, it looked like the comfiest thing Harry had ever seen.

"What are you doing?" Harry finally asked as Severus made his way into the kitchen.

A few seconds later Severus returned with the pizza and garlic bread and put them down on the table next to the bowls of popcorn and crisps "this is how you cure an off day" he said simply.

Harry suddenly felt a warm feeling form somewhere inside him as he smiled widely, _Snape had trashed the living room for him?_

"Off days require comfort food, comfortable bedding and comforting people" he said softly and Harry nodded blushing lightly at the effort Severus had gone to when nothing was truly wrong. "Settle down and I'll be back in a minute"

Harry waited patiently still taking in their 'nest'; it was that comfortable looing it was almost putting him to sleep. A few minutes later Severus returned with the levitating TV following closely behind, Harry's eyes widened as Snape levitated the TV in front of their huge sofa that Harry was now occupying. Gently he threw the remote to Harry who caught it and smiled "find a film" he ordered before sitting next to the teen and picking up a slice of pizza.

Soon they were both settled amongst the blankets watching "Jaws" and although it wasn't a film Severus had ever been particularly interested in watching he had fun watching Harry jump every time the shark appeared.

Harry sat contently cuddled into Snape's side with the popcorn floating in front of them; he slowly nibbled at the popcorn whilst using Snape as a shield during any scary parts in the film. "Thank you, Sir" Harry said looking up at the professor who smiled down at him. Although Harry had definitely thought Snape had gone insane when he started throwing pillows about the house it really had helped, it was nice being allowed to feel sad and not having to be strong all the time.

Half way through their second film 'The Gremlins' Harry felt his eyes close and Snape smiled lightly as he felt Harry's breathing change and he could tell the teen had fallen asleep. "Accio book" he whispered having lost interest in the creepy little monsters twenty minutes into the film. Contently he began reading with Harry still cuddled into him as the film continued to play in the background.

Snape didn't last reading for long; soon the book fell out of his hand as he relaxed into a deep sleep. He wriggled to get comfy now completely lop sided with Harry still curled up at his side.

Over an hour later there was a small pop from the floo "No Mr Malfoy we will not be playing exploding snap" Professor McGonagall said making her way into the living room, she had insisted on dropping Malfoy off to make sure he got home safely.

"Why not?" Draco demanded "you're here anyway"

"Mr Malfoy-" Professor McGonagall was stopped in her tracks at the sight of the living room "what on earth?" she muttered at the mountains of pillows and the huge floating TV, she almost didn't notice the two wizards sound asleep on the large sofa.

"Sleepover!" Draco announced.

"Shh!" Professor McGonagall scolded, she didn't want to wake the them but she also needed a few more seconds to take in the sight in front of her. Severus Snape was curled up asleep in a fort of pillows with Harry Potter cuddled contently into his side.

Severus blinked rapidly, after hearing Draco he was awake instantly hoping the boy hadn't caused any trouble during his evening with the Gryffindor head of house. He almost cringed with embarrassment when he noticed Professor McGonagall looking down at them both. "Hello" he said simply.

"Severus" she said trying to hide her smile "what have you both been doing?" she asked now wondering what had happened.

"We had an off day" he said looking down at Harry, he couldn't move without waking Harry and he didn't want to disrupt the teens sleep.

"Is he okay?" Professor McGonagall asked.

"He is now" Severus said simply and she smiled widely now taking in her colleagues efforts to cheer the teen up.

Severus' attention turned as the couch sank slightly as Draco crawled over beside them and began rearranging the pillows to suit himself.

"What?" he asked "I'm not sleeping upstairs by myself when you're both down here" the blonde said.

"Well you better brush your teeth and get changed" Severus ordered and the teen nodded before retreating to his bathroom.

"How was Draco?" Severus asked.

"He did well, let's catch up at a more suitable hour" Minerva said still smiling fondly at them both.

"I would show you out…" Severus said waving his hand in defeat.

"I know where the floo is" she said and after a quick goodbye she retreated from the living room "goodnight, Mr Malofy" she called upstairs and she heard a faint goodbye as she slipped through the floo.

. . .

Severus woke the next day from a cramping pain in his neck, he looked around to see the mess that cluttered the living room but his attention quickly turned to the teens both fast asleep on the sofa beside him. Harry was now sprawled out with his head resting against the couch while Draco was curled up using the arm rest as a pillow.

Quietly he began to put the living room right, with a flick of his wand the TV floated away and he began gathering up the pillows and blankets before vanishing them back to the bedrooms, he was too tired to do things the muggle way without his morning coffee.

He gathered the plates and made his way into the kitchen now mentally planning all they had to get done today and he could only hope both boys were in good moods. Distractedly he opened the daily prophet and took a large sip of his morning coffee.

"I'm never sleeping on a sofa again" Draco muttered entering the kitchen "I'm all cramped"

"I'm sure you'll live" Snape replied and Draco huffed before sitting at the table.

On cue large plates of bacon, sausage and toast appeared and Draco quickly lifted some onto his own plate and began eating almost instantly forgetting about his cramped body.

"Hey, Harry" Draco said as Harry entered the room.

Harry smiled contently, he felt refreshed and relaxed as he sat at the table next to Draco who was now pouring pumpkin juice.

"Let's fly today" Draco suggested and Harry's eyed instantly lit up.

Severus shook his head "we're going out today"

"Where are we going?" Harry asked curiously.

"To Hogwarts" Severus said and instantly both boys' eyes lit up and he felt almost bad "you both need to get a check-up at the infirmary" he added and he couldn't help but feel guilty as their faces dropped.

"Uncle Sev!" Draco protested.

"Why?" Harry demanded.

"Because you've been through a lot this summer and I want to be sure your body is recovering well from the neglect it was put through" he explained.

"But I feel fine!" Harry insisted.

"Then you'll have nothing to worry about" Snape said dismissively but Draco wasn't finished with the conversation.

"Why do I need to get one?" Draco asked.

"If Harry's going it makes sense to get you checked if we're going to be there anyway" Severus explained.

"Way to go, Harry!" Draco moaned.

"It's not my fault!" Harry shouted slamming his fork down.

"Right that's enough!" Severus snapped and they both shut up and looked down at their food to avoid their guardians glare "Apologise Draco"

"Sorry, Harry" he muttered now feeling terrible about what he'd said, it definitely wasn't Harry's fault "I really didn't mean that"

"I know" Harry smiled lightly "we'll go through it together"

"Or we could do a runner" Draco muttered biting into his bacon.

. . .

"Hello, my boys!" Madame Pomphrey smiled as the three of them entered through the floo. She would never admit it but she had been missing both the boys as they always seemed to end up in the hospital wing for one thing or another and without Snape constantly popping in with potions she had missed the regular chats.

"Hello, Poppy" Severus smiled "I hope you're well"

"I am, Severus" she replied before turning her attention to Harry "look at you!" she practically shouted, this was the healthiest and strongest Harry had ever looked, there were no bags under his eyes and he definitely had a glow in his cheeks.

"So both boys are here for a general health check-up?" she asked and Severus nodded "are they also receiving the injection today or when term starts?"

"What injection?" Draco demanded, _he had never been good with needles._

"The dragon pox injection has been proving ineffective so we've updated the formula" she explained "it's one small injection that should cover you for life"

"Does it hurt?" Harry asked.

"I don't want an injection" Draco glared.

"Let's get the check up over with before we worry about the little injection" she said smiling lightly and both teens nodded.

"While you work I'm going to double check I've made enough potions for the coming term" Severus said before retreating into the medicine room.

"Harry would you like to go first?" she asked and Harry nodded lightly before jumping up onto the bed, for once he wasn't worried about having an examination because he didn't have anything to hide. No matter what he ended up in the hospital wing for he always found himself mentally listing excuses for various scars and bruises in case anybody noticed.

He sat perfectly still as he felt the diagnostic charm tingle through his body and he watched with hopeful eyes as Madame Pomphrey snatched the floating parchment and began inspecting it.

"Am I okay?" Harry finally asked breaking the silence.

"This is your best result to date, Mr Potter" she said smiling lightly "you have nothing to worry about as long as Severus keeps feeding you" she teased.

"Don't worry he will" Snape said sarcastically appearing in the doorway with a small list.

"Okay, Mr Malfoy" she said directing her attention to the blonde who was looking slightly nervous "on the bed" she ordered.

"Do I have to?" he asked looking at Severus who nodded.

"It doesn't hurt" Harry said offering the teen a small smile and Draco sighed before jumping up onto the bed, he didn't like people in his space.

Quickly Draco's examination was over and he couldn't jump off the bed quick enough after being told he was perfectly healthy "now about this injection" Madame Pomphrey continued "do you also wish to receive it today, Severus?" she asked.

Severus frowned, he hadn't quite thought of that but after looking at the concern plastered across the teenagers faces he decided he better go first to put their minds at rest "that sounds like a good idea" he said sitting on the bed confidently, he noticed Harry especially was watching him carefully while Draco stared at the door, subconsciously he had his wand up his sleeve ready to lock it if the teen decided to bolt.

"Those that have already had it have complained it hurts so be prepared" she said rummaging around in her supplies "the headmaster especially let out a small yelp"

Severus rolled his eyes, of course Albus would be a drama queen about a small injection, _how bad could it be?_ Considering the various curses he had been put through at death eater meetings he wasn't at all fazed by what was to come.

Severus quickly took off his outer robes and rolled up his sleeve awkwardly whilst looking at the needle.

Madame Pomphrey carefully aligned the needle with the professors upper arm "again this might hurt" she reminded him and he nodded calmly.

"I'm sure it will be fine" Severus said simply and a few seconds later he felt the sharp needle pierce his flesh, he inhaled sharply as the liquid was injected into his body instantly causing a painful burning sensation.

"Almost over" Madame Pomphrey said and with a small tug she pulled she needle out and put a small plaster over the wound.

Severus sighed lightly with relief as the pain vanished almost instantly but the look on both boys face showed they had noticed the pain it caused him.

Harry watched his guardian with wide eyes, _if Snape found it painful how was he going to cope?_

"Who wants to go next?" Madame Pomphrey asked and both boys stepped back.

"I'm not going next!" Draco announced and Harry gulped lightly looking towards his guardian who was now adjusting his robes and looking completely unfazed by the experience.

"Mr Potter?" Madame Pomphrey asked.

Harry sighed and sat up on the bed waiting patiently as Madame Pomphrey prepared the injection. He had never been scared of injections before but he also hadn't been in any proper pain since the Dursley's and suddenly he didn't want to feel any pain "I don't want it!" he blurted out pulling away as Pomphrey approached him "please Sir, don't make me" he pleaded.

"Harry it's for your own safety, do you want dragon pox?" Severus asked and Harry shook his head.

"The pain only lasts a few seconds" Madame Pomphrey assured him and Harry held out his arm and turned away.

Madame Pomphrey carefully aligned the needle "breathe in" she instructed "and out" as Harry exhaled she inserted the needle as carefully as she could and she was surprised when the teen didn't even let out a small yelp.

Harry clenched his eyes shut at the burning sensation but he focused on not making a sound, if Severus could do it he could too.

"And that's it over" she said smiling widely "well done, Harry" she said as the boy jumped off the bed still rubbing his arm, surprisingly the boy had reacted less than Severus.

Draco was now cowering behind Snape; he had never been good with pain and after they had both taken it well he didn't want to look like a baby.

"Mr Malfoy" Madame Pomphrey said inviting the teen onto the bed.

Draco sighed and jumped onto the bed but as Madame Pomphrey approached him with the needle he screamed slightly and pulled away "no!"

"Mr Malfoy!"

"Please don't let her do it, Uncle Sev!" he begged frantically trying to scramble away, suddenly the idea of something sharp piercing his skin was too much.

Snape instantly jumped up onto the bed next to him and put his arm around the boys waist so his arm was still exposed for the needle "just close your eyes and focus on me" Snape felt the teen turn into him and Draco's forehead being pressed against his chest as the teen did his best to hide from the needle.

"In 1,2,3" Madame Pomphrey counted before inserting the needle.

Draco let out a small yelp and a whine but he was instantly calmed as Snape held him tighter and used his free hand to stroke the teens hair "it's over" Snape said when Madame Pomphrey took out the needle and put a small plaster over the teens arm.

"That wasn't that bad" Draco insisted pulling away from Severus who laughed lightly.

Severus quickly jumped off the bed "thank you, Poppy" he said simply "I've taken notes of any potions I need to brew and I'll have them with you within the fortnight" he said.

"Thank you, Severus" she smiled lightly as the three of them left the hospital wing, Draco still rubbing his arm.

"What are we doing now?" Harry asked curiously.

"I'm going to my office to work on some paperwork and restock my potions supply" Severus said simply.

"What about us?" Harry frowned.

"You're both going to see Hagrid, I promised Dumbledore a while ago I'd make sure he seen you over the summer" he replied not noticing Harry's face had completely lit up.

"Great!" Harry smiled.

"Stay out of trouble and the regular school rules still apply" Severus said firmly as he reached the steps that lead to the dungeons.

"We'll stay out of trouble" Harry insisted and with a small nod Severus gestured they could go.

Harry excitedly ran down to Hagrid's hut with Draco trailing behind, he wasn't ecstatic about visiting Hagrid; he had never been the nicest to the giant and after almost causing Buckbeak's death last year he was nervous. Harry knocked on the door and waited for a reply.

"'Arry!" Hagrid shouted grabbing the boy into a bear hug "I didn't know ye'd be visitin'" he smiled.

"Severus is working and the Headmaster had told him you wanted to see me more" Harry explained and Hagrid smiled inviting both teens into his house.

Draco looked around at the strangely decorated little hut "cool" he mumbled to himself, he was used to posh houses and manors but he had never seen anything so unique and with so much character. Harry smiled excitedly looking forward to the day Draco got to see the burrow.

"Tea?" Hagrid asked.

"Yes please" Harry smiled.

"Draco?" he asked and the boy flinched at the sound of his name and then gulped lightly at the sight of Fang who was watching him carefully.

"Yes please" Draco replied awkwardly sitting next to Harry.

"What have you both been up to?" Hagrid asked curiously.

"We had to get injections" Harry replied.

"Painful thing that, nearly cried myself" Hagrid said sipping his tea "is that why you look so white, Draco?"

Draco nodded but Harry rolled his eyes "he's scared of your dog, Hagrid" Harry informed him.

"Am not!" Draco protested.

"Awk Fang won't hurt ye! Friend of Harry's is a friend of ours and yer practically family so yer fine" Hagrid replied and again Harry smiled lightly. "Ye looking forward to school?" he asked.

"I can't wait" Harry smiled. "I'm seeing Ron and Hermione tomorrow" he added.

"Oh that's nice" Hagrid replied smiling widely as his eyes twinkled, he truly did miss the golden trio over the summer.

"They're staying over" Harry explained further "Professor Snape has even agreed that Hermione can 'pick his brains' for an hour" he laughed lightly.

"He don't know what he's let himself in for does he?" Hagrid chuckled.

Harry laughed and shook his head lightly "He thinks it will make her leave him alone but it's only going to get her more excited to quiz him more"

"He'll soon learn" Hagrid replied "what ye doing the rest of the summer then you two?" he asked.

"Practicing for quidditch" Draco answered finally breaking his silence.

"That doesn't surprise me" Hagrid laughed.

. . .

After a long conversation and a second cup of tea Harry and Draco made their way back to Hogwarts, the corridors were oddly quiet and peaceful and the rooms looked bigger when they were empty. "It's weird being here when it's so quiet" Harry said and Draco nodded.

"What should we do to kill time?" Draco asked and Harry shrugged but he could instantly tell what Draco was thinking by the smug grin plastered across his face. "Let's race around the castle"

"Won't we get in trouble?" Harry asked cautiously.

"I doubt it, we race at home" Draco shrugged and Harry nodded not needing much convincing "let's go!" he said and they both broke into a run towards the broom cupboard. "Okay once around the grounds, the first person back wins" Draco decided and Harry nodded eagerly as they both mounted their brooms.

Slowly both boys rose into the air and quickly Draco sprinted ahead before Harry even had a chance to count them in "Draco!" he shouted before chasing after the Slytherin who was already twenty yards ahead.

Quickly Harry caught up with Draco as they raced side by side over the trees towards Gryffindor Tower, Draco glared over at Harry wondering how he even caught up. "Bye!" Harry called as he pushed forward and shot ahead of Draco reaching his spot on the ground first.

"I really don't know how you do it" Draco said rolling his eyes as he dropped his broom to the ground.

. . .

Later that night Severus sat awake in the living room, it was only half past eleven but both teens had long retreated for an early night after such a long day. Sipping on his whisky he flicked through an old photo album he had inherited after his mother died.

Severus didn't have a large family; it consisted of his mother, his mother's parents who he only met a few times and his father who he didn't like to talk about. The majority of the photos consisted of himself and his mother; because they didn't have a lot of money his mother spent most of their summers trying to entertain a young Severus as there was no money to spend on books and toys, although Severus didn't mind if it meant spending time with his mother and she always remembered to capture their special moments.

Flicking through the album carefully he came across a Christmas photo, he was standing in front of the Christmas tree that was covered in homemade, paper decorations. Severus had spent hours helping his mum decorate the tree and his smile in the photo gave away how proud he was about all they'd created.

His thoughts quickly turned to the events after that photo, his father had come home from work desperate for a drink to 'cure his bad day' and once he found out his wife had spent their last ten pounds on an artificial tree his only alternative was to take it out on Severus.

Severus closed the book and placed it back on the shelf, his mind had a habit of turning against him if he spent too many late nights in his own thoughts so reluctantly he took himself upstairs towards his own room.

Gently he pushed the door open to Harry's room, the teen was curled up on his side sleeping peacefully and Severus couldn't help but smile, he hadn't realised how empty his life had been until Harry and Draco had filled holes he didn't even know existed. He enjoyed the company of living with other people, the simple things like having somebody to talk about your day with really made all the difference and it made him feel alive.

As long as Severus had Harry and Draco he knew he'd be okay.

 **So I finally got a chapter up! Sorry it's taken so long, life is so busy and finding time to write is tough!**

 **So this is a new chapter and not an adapted one, sometimes I just think of random scenarios within a fic and then chapters like this happen. I don't feel like this is the best chapter because nothing really happens in it, but the next chapter is where everything kicks off and I just wanted them to have another few days of peace/normality first and to not completely rush into all the crazy stuff.**

 **I have the next few chapters written, they just need edited so if all goes well I'm hoping to have another chapter up by this Sunday : )**

 **Again I'm really sorry it's taken so long, I know a few people have messaged to ask if this fic was going to be added to again because it had been a while and I just want to reassure you all it definitely isn't abandoned : )**

 **I'll hopefully see you all for the next chapter and some drama! Have a lovely day!**


	8. Chapter 8 - Old Habits Die Hard

The next day Harry waited patiently by the floo for Ron and Hermione to arrive, he sat cross legged on the sofa wriggling with anticipation. Severus had left Harry and Draco to quickly speak to Dumbledore and once Draco had realized he would soon be left alone with the golden trio he had retreated to his room.

After what felt like an eternity they appeared. "Harry" Hermione said hugging him tightly.

"Where's Snape?" Ron asked cautiously, he was half expecting the professor to be waiting with a contract for them to sign on what they could and couldn't do.

"He had to go speak to Dumbledore about school, he'll be back any minute" Harry said rolling his eyes lightly at how tense Ron was.

"And Draco?" Ron asked.

"Probably upstairs" Harry shrugged, the blonde had made it clear he felt more comfortable staying out the way and Harry didn't want to push him. "Come in, let's put your stuff in my room and I'll show you around properly" he said eagerly.

They quickly made their way up to Harry's room and Ron's eyes widened finally getting to see Harry's bedroom, it was filled with quidditch posters and Ron instantly eyed the TV.

"Is that a muggle TV?" Ron asked "dad would love that"

"I'll show you how it works later" Harry said smiling at his friends curiosity, he wondered if Ron had ever really used a TV before "I'll show you the library" he said and quickly Hermione's eyes lit up.

Hermione's eyed widened at the sight of all the books, Snape's collection made hers look like nothing. "Harry this is…" she said studying the looks that were all divided into categories and then alphabetical order, she found herself mentally noting the system Snape had used for organizing so she could use it herself. "You have every book anybody could ever wish for" she gasped looking intently through the bookshelves while the boys sat on the sofa and chatted.

"Mate, your house is amazing" Ron grinned widely "I don't think Hermione is going to want to go home tomorrow"

"It's just a house" Harry said rolling his eyes although he could remember how huge it felt when he first arrived.

"Has Snape actually read all of these?" Ron asked gesturing the thousands of books.

Harry shrugged, he had never really thought about it "probably, or at least most of them" he finally decided.

"Some of these aren't even in English" Hermione said holding up a navy blue book "this ones in in Latin"

"You speak Latin?" Ron asked not sounding surprised.

Hermione shook her head "I just recognize a few words" she replied flicking through the book "I wonder if Professor Snape knows what all of this translates to"

Harry shrugged "just ask him" he replied having lost interest in the book.

"Harry" Hermione said running over clutching a different book "This book 'The Calara Wizarding World' there was only twenty ever published" she said sitting beside them opening the book "It's about ancient spells forgotten in today's world" she said eying the book as if it were the crown jewels "The amount we can learn from this one book alone"

Snape arrived through the floo with a small pop to silence, he wasn't too sure whether to be relieved the golden trio hadn't caused a riot or worried they were silently up to something they shouldn't be. Knowing deep down Harry wouldn't deliberately cause trouble he made his way down towards the library assuming they'd either be in there or flying just outside the large windows.

He could hear their voices from inside the library and he could instantly tell Hermione was trying to educate the boys on something they had no interest in. Slowly he opened the door to see Hermione holding an old book and pointing at various pictures while they both tried to pay attention.

"Find anything interesting?" Snape asked entering the room.

"Hey, Sir" Harry smiled casually.

"Sir…" Hermione said standing up to show him the book "This is…" she continued and he nodded, he didn't have much interest for the book, most of the spells were mediocre but it was a collectible.

"It's a very rare book, I've read it a few times" he said and she smiled in awe at the book.

Ron waited patiently for Snape to snap at Hermione for speaking without permission but his eyes widened as Snape continued to be pleasant.

"You can borrow it" Snape said dismissively moving back towards the door.

"Really?" she gasped.

"Yes, just don't damage it, it's worth a small fortune" he said with a more serious tone and she nodded, although he knew she'd guard the book as if it was her child. "Where's Draco?" he asked Harry curiously.

"Upstairs I think" Harry replied.

Snape smiled at him lightly "Supper will be in an hour" he said before leaving to find the blonde.

"I can't believe Snape's letting me borrow this" Hermione gasped and then blushed when she realized she had said that out loud.

Ron rolled his eyes not convinced, old habits die hard and his own stubbornness didn't help. "I'm going to study this tomorrow night" Hermione said putting the book in her bag.

"So does Snape ever have family that visits?" Ron asked nosily and Harry shrugged, he wasn't actually sure if Snape had a family.

"He has never really mentioned his family, I know he didn't like his Dad and his mum has passed away but other than that…" Harry said unsure and Hermione scowled at Ron for being so nosy. "What should we do tonight?" Harry asked and they both shrugged.

"Not read any more books" Ron muttered.

Harry laughed lightly "we could have a fire and roast marshmallows?" Harry suggested, it was a mild, clear evening and the perfect time of year to sit outside around a warm fire.

. . .

After supper Harry had managed to convince Draco to join in on a wizard's chess tournament while Hermione got to torture Snape with questions for an hour.

Reluctantly Draco had agreed and they all made their way back towards the library to set up the board and pieces.

"Okay Miss Granger, what do you want to quiz me on?" Severus asked sitting in the large armchair in the living room hoping this wouldn't be too painful.

Hermione frowned, she had so many questions to ask the professor but suddenly she was nervous "do you speak Latin, Sir?" she blurted out.

Severus frowned lightly, what kind of question was that? "I can read Latin but I wouldn't be able to hold a conversation" he answered honestly "Professor Flitwick is perhaps more fluent"

"It's just there's a Latin boon in your library and I'm intrigued as to what it means, Sir" Hermione said hopefully.

"If you find the specific book I'll do my best to explain" he replied and almost instantly Hermione was on her feet in a near run towards the library.

Hermione entered the library at the height of their first chess match, Draco was winning and Ron and Harry were currently arguing on what piece they'd move next. Draco smiled smugly at the board and sipped his drink willing them to move, no matter where they moved they would lose another piece.

"What are you doing?" Ron asked curiously.

"I'm getting that book so Professor Snape can translate it" Hermione answered absently as she found the book.

"You're wasting your precious hour on a stupid book?" Ron asked raising a brow.

"It's not stupid, Ron!" she insisted before turning on her heel swiftly and leaving the room.

For the next hour and a half Hermione and the professor sat together dissecting the book, although Severus couldn't understand every word he knew enough to work out what it was about and he wasn't surprised to learn it was about ancient curses created by Italian wizards in the 15th Century.

To Severus' surprise Hermione asked intriguing questions, some of which he didn't even know the answer to and she listened carefully to his answers. It was almost refreshing having a student pay so much attention about something they weren't being forced to learn, the majority of his students didn't put this much thought into their homework.

Eventually Harry entered the room looking slightly defeated.

"Are you okay?" Severus asked realizing the teen was off.

Harry sighed "I'm bored of chess but Ron doesn't want to stop until he beats Draco"

Severus laughed lightly; secretly he was glad they were both getting on.

"Can we light the fire outside?" Harry asked.

"As long as you don't make too much of a mess" Severus said simply.

Harry smiled lightly "let's go, Hermione" he said and she smiled lightly.

"Thank you, Sir" she said grinning widely.

Severus lit the fire pit as the four students sat together forcing marshmallows and pieces of chocolate onto different sticks. The fire pit was in the middle of four large garden sofas that were decorated comfortably with different matching pillows. Although the fire was warm Harry still snuggled underneath a blanket as they all sipped their hot chocolates and roasted marshmallows.

Severus sat reading at the further away side of the sofa, he didn't particularly like marshmallows but Harry had convinced him to at least come outside for a little while and he agreed to keep Draco company since the teen had wanted to join in.

"Where's the coolest places you've ever been?" Harry asked curiously.

"Probably Egypt" Ron shrugged "although it was way too hot"

"How hot?" Draco asked curiously.

"About 35" Ron replied after a moment of thought "you can imagine how burnt we all got"

"I did warn you to wear sunscreen" Hermione replied biting into her marshmallow "the coolest place I've ever been is Greece"

"Mines is probably America, New York to be specific. What about you, Harry?" Draco asked curiously.

Severus looked up curiously, he knew Draco had been to many places with his parents on holiday and that the teen was well educated in different cultures but he knew Harry hadn't seen a lot outside of Privet Drive.

Harry shrugged "I've not been to many cool places"

"Well where would you like to go?" Severus asked curiously.

"Somewhere with a rainforest" Harry shrugged "or just somewhere completely different"

Severus nodded and started taking mental notes on various holiday destinations as the conversation erupted into that of rain forest animals.

"What about you, Sir?" Hermione asked curiously "you've probably been to lots of different places"

Severus nodded, he had spent a lot of his late twenties travelling during the summers as he grew tormented being left alone in the house for long periods of time.

"Have you been to America?" Ron asked curiously.

"Only once to help Dumbledore with work" Severus replied sipping his coffee.

"What about France?" Hermione asked.

"Yes I've been to France a few times" Severus nodded.

"Are either of them your cool place?" Harry asked biting into another marshmallow.

Severus shook his head.

"Where then?" Draco asked curiously.

"Hogwarts" Severus replied with a small smile.

"I think that's my coolest place too" Harry said smiling widely, he had totally forgotten that he could count such an amazing building as a choice.

"Actually mines is probably Hogsmeade" Hermione blurted out changing her mind, she still found wizarding communities completely fascinating.

"Especially in the snow" Draco added.

Hermione snuggled under the blanket next to Harry, although it wasn't particularly cold there was something relaxing about being cozy, next to a fire whilst under the stars "what's your favorite Hogwarts memory?" Hermione asked curiously.

"All of them" Harry said instantly.

"But if you had to pick one" Hermione insisted.

"The time Hermione turned herself into a cat" Ron blurted out with a small giggle whilst looking at Harry.

"Shut up, Ron!" Hermione hissed looking at the professor.

He smirked lightly "don't worry Miss Granger, we all know the infamous polyjuice potion story" he replied "Professor McGonagall was worried you might steal her thunder"

The three boys laughed lightly as Hermione's face turned a dark shade of red as she looked away.

"I have no desire to be a cat anytime soon" Hermione said simply.

"Or brew potions unsupervised I hope?" Severus added and she shook her head lightly.

"What's yours, Hermione?" Harry asked curiously.

"I have too many to list" Hermione said frowning in thought "come back to me"

"What about you, Harry?" Draco asked.

Harry thought long and hard, although managing to cast a patronus charm had been a huge achievement, one he never thought he'd be able to do it wasn't the memory that made him feel the more alive. Although Sirius coming back into his life was definitely the start of something new it also wasn't the first time he'd ever truly felt at home.

"Mine is stupid" Harry shrugged.

"Your emotions are never stupid, Harry" Severus reminded him and Harry nodded.

Harry looked at Hermione with a small smile "when you finally came back after being petrified by the basilisk" Harry said simply "I think it's the one and only time the three of us have ever been truly apart and being reunited, getting back to normal after so long apart was just special"

Hermione smiled lightly and let out a small awkward giggle.

"How am I supposed to follow that?" Draco asked dramatically and they all let out a small laugh.

There was a loud scream from the house and they all jumped to their feet.

Severus instantly pulled out his wand "nobody move" he ordered and they all nodded.

"Severus! Severus!" Molly screamed.

Severus ran back towards the living room.

"Mum!" Ron shouted taking off after the professor.

Almost instantly Harry, Draco and Hermione followed on and they quickly found Molly completely frantic in the living room.

"Molly?" he asked.

"You need to help me! They've taken Ginny!" she cried out.

Severus grabbed her shoulders "Who has taken Ginny?" he asked calmly.

"The death eaters, they were under the impression Harry was in our care, they discovered he wasn't at the Dursley's when they raided their house and they killed…" she stopped when she noticed the four students standing at the bottom of the stairs. "They killed Vernon" she finished and Harry's eyes shot open "The burrow is trashed and they've taken Ginny you have to help, please" she begged and he nodded.

There was a bang as Fred and George landed in the room, Fred supported a wounded George by his waist as they steadied themselves.

"Dads gone after them" Fred said and Molly gasped.

"Okay everyone, stay in living room" Severus ordered and without hesitating they all followed orders.

"What's going to happen?" Harry asked.

"Mrs. Weasley and I need to go but under no circumstance do any of you leave the house and if you find yourself under attack floo to Hogwarts" he said sternly and they nodded. "Molly, we need to get Dumbledore and we need to leave now" he said and she nodded, inside he was panicking as he had no idea where to start, the death eaters were always moving and they could be anywhere.

They watched wide eyed as the adults left through the floo once more "What happened?" Ron asked.

"We were all sitting in the kitchen having supper when the alarms went off to say the wards were down and before we could get up from the table we were surrounded" Fred said clenching at the memory.

"They insisted we had Harry and we told them they could check the house if they wanted to, we insisted we never heard from him outside term times" George continued wiping the dried blood from his nose "They threw curses at us and a battle erupted before one of them grabbed Ginny and then they were gone" he gasped.

"Here" Draco said passing George the first aid kit.

Harry's entire body was overcome with guilt and fear, this was his fault, and he was forever putting people in danger without meaning to.

"Why Ginny?" Harry asked, Draco shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "What do you know, Draco?" he demanded noticing he was instantly uncomfortable.

"Are you in on this?" Ron hissed standing up.

"No!" Draco said standing defensively. "But…" he said looking down guiltily "I did mention it to my father a while ago that Harry clearly had a thing for Ginny and he's probably passed that information on" he said not looking up as gasps echoed you room.

"You're evil! You traitor!" Ron roared jumping at Draco and knocking him to the ground.

"It was over a year ago!" Draco cried out "I didn't think it was a big deal, I said it in passing conversation" he pleaded but Ron was having none of it, he punched Draco square across the face and to his surprise the blonde didn't fight back. Tears slowly ran down his cheeks.

"Fight back!" Ron barked hitting him again but he didn't fight back.

"Stop it, Ron!" Harry yelled pulling him off Draco "he said it was over a year ago"

"I don't believe him" Ron said cutting Harry off instantly.

"If I wanted to I would have hurt you by taking the dark mark when I had the chance" Draco hissed, deep down he was hurt, he thought he was getting along with the Weasley's and Hermione but he'd thought wrong, they were just tolerating him for Harry's sake, he turned on his heel and made for the door holding his face.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked. "We have to stay together"

"I'm going to my room" he barked before slamming the door and leaving the room to fall to silence.

"That was totally uncalled for Ron, you knew fine well he didn't do anything wrong but you still used it as an excuse to hurt him" Harry shouted and Ron flinched, he knew he overreacted but he was sick with worry about Ginny and wasn't thinking straight. "Why don't you punch me, Ron?" Harry continued "It was me they were after not your sister, it's me that's the true danger not Draco Malfoy!" he screamed and Ron looked at him filled with hate, Harry's shouting had only fueled his already boiling rage.

"Maybe you're right, Harry!" Ron said and he heard his brothers and Hermione's gasps.

"Ron!" Hermione shouted.

"No it's true, Hermione! We find ourselves in nothing but bother and we always lose a chunk of ourselves with every stupid battle we end up in; snakes, chambers, werewolves, dogs, potions, Ginny, everything! We asked for none of this" he hissed looking at Harry, the agony had overwhelmed him and he wasn't thinking straight, he was terrified and using Harry as an emotional punching bag.

"Nobody asked you to sit next to me on the train that first day, nobody asked the pair of you to follow me around the school the second you found out who I was" he said "Nobody asked you to be sucked in ignorantly by the-boy-who-lived stories" Harry muttered, his voice low and poisonous.

"That isn't the reason we are friends with you!" Hermione said defensively.

"Isn't it? Neither of you were interested till you saw the scar and a true friend wouldn't behave how you just did, Ron" he said glaring at the redhead who returned his glare.

"My sister is going to die because of you" he said coldly.

"Ron!" The twins shouted "that isn't true!"

"Your sister is going to die because of Voldemort!" Harry hissed "I didn't ask him to kill my parents, I didn't ask for the scar, or the parseltongue or any of it and I certainly didn't ask him to take Ginny! And you don't know what I'd give to get rid of it all and just be a normal 14 year old!" he shouted tears pricking in his eyes "It's not easy knowing innocent people die because of me, in case you'd forgotten my uncle died tonight!"

"You hated your uncle!"

"But Dudley didn't! He's a kid and has lost his Dad and that's going to stay with him for the rest of his life and that's my fault!" He shouted.

"Dudley got taken off him, stop twisting this to make it about you" Ron hissed.

"His wedding day, when he has kids…I've changed his entire future" Harry gasped.

"So you've taken responsibility for changing his future but you're still blaming Voldemort for Ginny's" Ron said twisting everything.

"I'm done with this conversation" Harry said angrily leaving the room and running as quickly as his legs would take him to his bedroom.

"We're supposed to stay together!" Hermione shouted.

"What you just did was disgusting, Ron" Fred glared and he instantly regretted everything, he knew it wasn't Harry's fault but he couldn't stop himself.

"Harry!" Ron shouted but it was too late, he got up to go after him but the three of them stopped him.

"Let him calm down" George said.

"We're meant to be staying together" Ron answered and they all shook their head.

"We would be together if it wasn't for you" Hermione said turning her back on Ron and sitting on the sofa, the room fell to silence.

. . .

Harry paced his room trying to control his anger and upset but he couldn't, he punched the wall but instantly regretted it as his fist went through the plaster "Great!" he shouted. Suddenly he was overcome with an intense pain and he fell to the ground clenching his scar.

" _Silence you silly girl" Voldemort hissed at Ginny, the red head was chained to what looked like a basement wall, Harry gasped in relief she was alive. Harry's heart sunk as he watched Bellatrix come into view and cackle tauntingly._

" _How many people need to die before your beloved boyfriend learns the only way to stop it is his death?" she said pouting menacingly at Ginny who was doing her best to look away._

" _It's not his fault!" Ginny hissed, if she was going to die she wasn't giving them the satisfaction of seeing her scared. "How many people have to die before you get a life?" she said childishly but it seemed to sting Bellatrix._

" _Crucio" she smiled and instantly Ginny screamed as her entire body erupted in pain. "Oh come on, Ginny, you're stronger than that…clearly" she said as the curse grew stronger and Ginny's screams grew wilder. "Okay I'll stop, no need to be so…dramatic" she said smiling sweetly. She grabbed the girl by her throat "Don't mock me again" she threatened._

" _That's enough, Bellatrix" Lucius said entering the room. Voldemort turned and hugged him tightly._

" _Ah Lucius, I'm glad you could join us, we aren't going to spare this one, but for now it's team to eat" he said before leading them both out of the room._

Harry gasped as his room came back into vision, Ginny was alive, he had to tell the others but he stopped himself before he reached his bedroom door. If he told them and they all went after them they could die and it would be his fault. He gulped and decided to keep this news to himself, he thought back to the memory, where were they? Suddenly he remembered the faint shrieking throughout the entire ordeal, they were in the basement of the shrieking shack. Quickly he grabbed his wand, his invisibility cloak and he left as quickly as he could, there would be no more blood on his hands.

 **Okay so this chapter took a bit of a turn, Voldemort had to make an appearance eventually!**

 **Also I'm perfectly aware Voldemort wouldn't appear at this point in the books but it's just fanfiction so there's no need to tell me because I already know : )**

 **I'll try and upload as soon as I can!**

 **As always thanks for reading and review if you want to!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Die like a muggle

Harry stood outside the shrieking shack out of sight, he could tell instantly by how sick he felt and the sharp pain in his head that Voldemort was nearby. He looked at the sky one final time accepting the fact this might be the last time he'd see it, he took out his wand and carefully crept towards the shack, deep down he hoped he could just get in, grab Ginny and then run but he knew it probably wasn't going to be that simple. The shack creaked and swayed but other than that there was silence, no screaming, no voices no sign of anybody being nearby.

He made his way down into the basement as quietly as he could, he heard a female laugh coming from one of the upstairs rooms and it sent a chill down his spine, he recognised that cackle instantly. He wrapped his invisibility cloak tighter to his body and continued down the final few stairs into the dark basement, it was lit only by a few wax candles but they gave off enough light for Harry to notice Ginny tied to the furthest away wall. "Ginny!" he whispered dropping the cloak and running over to her.

"Harry, what are you doing here?" She whispered, her eyes were overflowing with fear "You have to leave, Harry!" she said but he shook his head and with a flick of his wand she was free "No, you don't understand, it's a trap!" she hissed quietly.

. . .

Back upstairs Voldemort, Bellatrix, Narcissa and Lucius sat around a table with a few other death eaters and they were all grinning ear to ear. "It looks like our guest has arrived" Voldemort boasted clasping his hands together with excitement. "I think it's time we go greet him" he said and Bellatrix cackled with delight.

"Is he definitely alone?" Bellatrix asked and he nodded. "I'm surprised he fell for it. Do you recon the redhead snapped?" she asked.

"The Weasley boy has always had a tempter, it was inevitable he would turn on Harry once the girl was involved" Lucius said standing from the table, the idea to use Ginny as bait was his idea and he was proud of it.

Voldemort started drumming his overgrown fingernails on the table with excitement "Let's go say hello" he finally said as they all stood from the table and silently crept towards the basement.

. . .

In Snape Manor there was a bang as Snape, Molly and Arthur entered the room, Molly was looking more and more distressed and Snape looked lost for what to do. "Did you find her?" Fred asked instantly coming through to greet them as the others followed.

"No, there is a search party continuing through the night with Dumbledore but we decided it was best we came back in case they attack again" Severus explained pouring himself a glass of water, he frowned as his hands trembled slightly but he did well to hide it. "Where are Harry and Draco?" he asked frowning and Ron instantly looked down, the guilty look on his face told Severus everything he needed to know "What happened?" he asked sternly.

"I…" Ron began running his fingers through his hair as his mother and father listened intently "Draco told his Dad Harry liked Ginny" he began and Severus frowned with confusion, what does that have to do with anything? "So they took Ginny and I blamed Draco so he went to his room to get away from me"

"Because you punched him in the face" Hermione snapped.

"Is he okay?" Severus asked and Hermione nodded, she had been to check on him an hour or so before.

"I am disgusted in you!" Molly shouted grabbing Ron by his collar "How dare you!"

"That's not all, Mum!" he continued "Harry blamed himself and we got into a fight and then he left as well"

"He what!?" Severus shouted darting up to Harry's room, he knew fine well the boy wouldn't have stayed put if he thought he was at fault and to his distress he was right, the room was empty. "he's gone after them" Severus gasped running into the room "Arthur, go get Black" he said running his fingers through his hair overwhelmed with fear, he felt the tears forming in the corner of his eyes but he quickly shook it away, this was a type of fear Severus had never felt before but now was not the time to panic.

"We didn't know he'd left" Fred said barely audible.

"How could you be so stupid as to leave him alone?" Severus shouted "especially you two, you're older you should have looked after the four of them!" he shouted at the twins who instantly looked down and nodded inwardly.

With a bang Black and Remus arrived in the room with Arthur Weasley, they both looked as ill with fear as each other. "Severus…" Sirius said completely lost for words "What are we going to do?" he asked.

There was another flash and suddenly Severus wasn't inside Snape Manor anymore, he was sitting on the swing outside the treehouse, his robes blowing in the strong wind. He looked around confused, Harry was missing and he had just performed unintentional magic? "Hello, Severus" a voice from behind said, his entire body tingled and he gasped as his chest grew tight, he knew that voice. He stood up instantly and turned around to finally be reunited with those green eyes.

"Lily?" he whispered. She nodded but he was totally lost for words, after years of overthinking what he would say to her if he had the chance he had forgotten every rehearsed word.

"Severus, you need to save Harry and you need to move quickly, he is with Voldemort" she said calmly meeting his gaze and he nodded instantly, he knew there was no time to waste.

"I'm trying, Lily, I don't know where he is" he choked waving his arm in defeat, Lily sighed he still looked as vulnerable as he did back then, even behind the cold stare he was so lost. "I don't know where to start, I can't lose him" he said in an almost whisper.

"They're in the shrieking shack, Voldemort isn't alone, leave the twins in charge of the children" she ordered and he instantly went to interrupt but she stopped him "they won't mess up, the rest of you need to reach Harry and Ginny before it's too late" she said and he nodded.

"Ginny is alive" he gasped with relief running his fingers through his hair. She slowly turned to walk away and he gasped and ran towards her "No, Lily, please don't go" he begged, she turned and her eyes were wide with pain.

"I need to be with Harry" she whispered apologetically.

"Please" he begged. "Don't leave"

"Severus, I never left I'm with you and Harry every single day, I laugh when you laugh and I cry when you cry and I sit beside you at night when your cold exterior finally falls down and I only hope you know I'm there comforting you " she said and he looked down completely lost. "I will never leave you, Severus, you will always be my best friend and I will always be yours" she soothed placing her hand on the wizards cheek. "Look after Harry, love Harry and you'll always have a part of me"

"I'm sorry for everything" he choked.

"You're looking after by baby, you've more than made up for it" she smiled and a weight lifted form inside his chest, he was forgiven. "Goodbye, Severus and thank you" she said before slowly walking into the trees, Severus watched until she was barely visible and she turned one final time "I love you, Severus" she whispered and he nodded.

"I love you too" he gasped completely unaware he was crying "I won't let you down again" he promised.

. . .

"Snape wake up!" Remus shouted violently shaking Severus who lay unconscious on the floor.

"What's his problem?" Sirius asked impatiently.

"I think he fainted" Hermione said, her tone was equally confused.

"Snape!" Sirius shouted kneeling down and slapping him on the face "Now is not the time for dramatics, wake up" he ordered.

"I love you too" Severus mumbled and Sirius instantly stood back raising an eyebrow at Remus who returned his baffled expression. "I won't let you down again" he whispered.

"Wake up, Snape!" Sirius shouted again and Snape's eyes flew open, he glared at Sirius who was still looking down on him but he instantly stood and they all took a step back as a new energy hit the room.

"They're at the shrieking shack!" he gasped and they all looked at him confused.

"Are you feeling okay, Severus?" Molly asked and he nodded fiercely.

"Ginny is alive and we have to move!" he said composing himself properly "You two" he said pointing at the twins already cringing about what he was going to say "you're in charge, watch the younger ones and stay together this time!" he ordered and they all nodded, Remus go get Dumbledore and the rest of us will head to the shrieking shack" he ordered and they all nodded, Severus took a deep breath knowing that this could be the last time they all stood in this room together as things finally had escalated out of their control.

"I love you all" Molly Weasley said and after a few pops and bangs they were gone and the room fell to silence.

"This is my fault" Ron whispered.

"I'm going to check on Draco" Fred said running upstairs.

"I feel sick" George gasped sitting on the sofa.

The banging of frantic footsteps came thundering down the stairs as Fred entered the room once more "Draco has gone!" he shouted "He's not there, I can't find him and his coat is gone" he said panicking.

"Right let's go" Hermione said reaching for her coat and Ron instantly stood up knowing this was their cue to save their friends.

"Snape said…" Fred started but Ron cut him off instantly.

"Snape said…When have we ever listened to Snape?" Ron said as he turned to Hermione and took her hand "We are friends; Harry, Hermione and I are a trio… _were_ a trio because now we have Draco" he corrected himself still feeling slightly guilty and Hermione gave him a nod of approval "And we have never left each other in times of need and we're not starting now" he said and Hermione smiled at him and nodded loyally.

"Can't argue with that" George said and Fred sighed, he was outnumbered.

"Let's go!" Hermione said and with another bang they were on their way.

. . .

Ginny and Harry gasped as they heard footsteps quickly approaching. "Ginny you have to run, go out the bottom door" he ordered pointing at the second, smaller door at the opposite side of the room "I'm guessing it's a back exit, he won't kill me instantly he will want to play games and that gives you time to go get help" he said taking her head in his hands and staring into her eyes, she nodded gently as the tears run down her face. "Go Ginny" he ordered and she ran out the door slamming it behind her, Harry looked around and took a breath as Voldemort came into sight.

"Harry Potter" he said simply walking into the room circling the boy like a vulture. "It's nice of you to join us" he said, his lips twitched into a slight smile as he was unable to hide his glory, he had finally cornered Harry Potter.

Lucius, Narcissa and Bellatrix all entered behind him and stood loyally behind Voldemort, Harry felt sick at the pleasure plastered across Bellatrix face. "He is mines" Voldemort warned and the three death eaters nodded.

Harry looked around the room, he knew he was dead if he stayed in such a tight space and in a split second he had his plan, he blocked Voldemort's first hit but instead of striking back like they expected he knocked over a giant empty book case sending it hurling towards the four of them, they were completely not expecting it and it bought Harry a split second to run out the same door Ginny had gone through minutes before. Harry ran as fast as his legs would take him and dived into the long grass, Voldemort's roar was that loud it sent shivers down his spine and he looked up to see a group of spooked crows fleeing the scene. "Harry Potter!" Voldemort bellowed.

"You can run but you can't hide, Potter" Bellatrix taunted as the four of them emerged from the same door Harry had just come out of. Harry watched their cold, dead eyes scanning the fields. His heart was beating rapidly and he locked eyes with Voldemort, he instantly stood and cursed himself for wasting time but the grass wasn't long enough to make a full escape.

Voldemort threw another curse and Harry jumped out the way and fired one back missing but nearly hitting Lucius. The sky was alive with colours as the two wizards fired curse after curse at each other and each zap and bang was broken up by screams as the battle intensified. Voldemort's rage only grew stronger as Harry was accurate and clear with every single attempted hit. "Expelliarmus!" Bellatrix shouted lending an unexpected hand and Harry's wand was thrown from his hand.

"No…!" he whispered.

"Crucio!" Voldemort hissed and the curse fired through Harry's body, he screamed as his skin felt like it was catching fire and every bone in his body felt like it was being snapped over and over again, he hit the ground gasping for air. Voldemort moved closer and watched as Harry tightened his eyes in pain "crucio maxima" he said emotionlessly and the boy erupted into screams.

Harry closed his eyes and tried to focus on anything but the curse, he thought of Ron, Hermione and his parents, he thought of Severus and Dumbledore but nothing worked, the curse tore through his body and he felt like somebody was tearing his body apart limb by limb. Suddenly the curse stopped and he fought through the pain to open his eyes, Voldemort was gazing down at him, his expression empty and shark like.

Harry stared into the dead eyes expecting Voldemort to end it now but he was surprised when Voldemort nodded towards Lucius who made his way over instantly. "Tie him up outside the shack" he hissed menacingly before making his way back towards the house.

Harry almost forgot to breathe as he was dragged back towards the shrieking shack with three wands pointed in his direction. He should have known Voldemort wouldn't put him out of his misery that easily.

"You're not so brave without your little followers are you?" Lucius said laughing smugly.

"Go to hell" Harry spat fighting against the heavy chains.

"I'm surprised Severus hasn't taught you any manners" Lucius replied raising a brow "maybe he's getting soft in his old age, but don't worry I'll teach you" he threatened and Harry knew what was coming.

Lucius kicked the teens feet from under him causing Harry to hit the ground with a thud and Harry closed his eyes as Lucius cane made contact with his back. Breathing deeply he tried to fight back the tears as the blows kept coming, in a way this was worse than any type of curse, it reminded him of Vernon Dursley and he found himself once more entangled in the memories of his childhood.

Eventually the blows ended and Harry managed to get back to his feet remembering where he was.

"You put up a good fight, Potter" Voldemort said faintly nodding in approval. He hissed another curse at Harry ripping open the flesh on his arm, Harry grabbed his arm and watched as the blood seeped through his fingers.

"Accio wand" Harry muttered and almost instantly his wand returned to his hand and he threw a curse at Voldemort, he blocked it instantly but allowed Harry his chance to fight back.

Harry managed to block a few of Voldemort's hits and weakly threw a few of his own but the exhaustion was taking over his body by the second. "Expelliarmus" Voldemort teased and the wand fell out his hands once more.

Harry could tell by the contented look on Voldemort's face this was it, he was going to die, he stood still and looked Voldemort in the eye one final time before closing his own. "I'm not scared" he whispered almost to himself, but he meant it, he wasn't scared.

"Avada…" he began but his wand flew from his hand.

"Expelliarmus!" Draco screamed coming from the side of the shrieking shack.

"Draco no!" Narcissa screamed and ran towards her son.

"Narcissa!" Lucius shouted and he lunged out to grab her but missed, he let out a scream running his fingers through his hair and Voldemort's stare rooted him to the spot.

Voldemort's wand returned to him and he threw a curse at Narcissa but she blocked it skilfully and threw one back, his eyes widened in disbelief and anger. "You will regret that" he growled and she shook her head.

"Don't you touch my child" she hissed. Harry's eyes grew wide and he scrambled to his feet once more using Narcissa as a distraction to grab his wand and free himself, he fired a curse at Voldemort and it hit him, he screamed more out of anger than pain and the sky erupted again as they all starting firing curses at each other, Lucius threw every single curse he could at Harry careful not to hit Draco, Narcissa fired at anyone who fired at Draco and Bellatrix fired curse after curse at everyone bar Voldemort and Lucius.

"Crucio!" Bellatrix screamed and Draco fell to the ground in pain as the curse ripped through his body, she threw hex after hex at him until everything went dark.

"What are you doing?" Narcissa screamed.

"Draco!" Harry shouted as Narcissa dropped to her knees beside her son.

Voldemort, Lucius and Bellatrix turned to face Harry who stood alone again, with his wand by his side.

"Expelliarmus!" a voice shouted but Harry's wand remained in his hand, he turned to see Severus, Remus, Sirius, Arthur, Molly and Dumbledore running full charge into the battle. "Sectumsempra!" Snape shouted again and a giant wound cut deep into Voldemort's arm the second he held it out to call his wand.

"Expelliarmus!" Lucius shouted but Snape blocked it instantly, his rising panic failed him as Sirius disarmed him first attempt, luckily Bellatrix was quick to help him recover. Again multiple curses and hexes were fired across the field, Dumbledore and Voldemort were locked in duel and the lights were so intense the evening sky was lit. Sirius and Lucius were locked in a duel outside the shrieking shack and Molly and Arthur tried to corner Bellatrix, but the witch confidently fought back like a rabid animal taking no prisoners. She threw a curse at Molly and her body hit the shack before she fell limply to the ground.

"Lupin, help Draco" Snape shouted.

Lupin nodded but as he ran towards the boy a curse hit him and he howled in pain before hitting the ground lifelessly. Snape turned to see four more death eaters running towards them, they were outnumbered, he held his breath and threw a curse knocking one of them out of the battle instantly but the other three charged in and fired rapidly. Harry found himself by Snape's side as they battled the three men running towards them.

"We're outnumbered!" Harry shouted over the bangs and cries and Snape nodded but didn't take his eyes off the immediate threat.

"No you're not!" Ron said running from behind and firing aggressively at the death eaters, he was also taking no prisoners.

"Ron!" Harry shouted unable to hide the joy in his voice. Hermione stood on Snape's other side and within minutes the three death eaters lay motionless on the floor. "I'm sorry, Harry" Ron blurted out quickly when their eyes locked for a second and Harry nodded, Ron knew he was forgiven. Harry looked over to see Sirius had defeated Lucius and he was lying unconscious his entire body secured with rope.

There was a burst of light and Voldemort's wand flew into the air, Ron and Hermione looked over to see and gasped, Dumbledore was bursting with fury and power and for a second they noticed a smidge of fear on Voldemort's face. His wand quickly returned to him and the battle continued. There was a cry from Bellatrix and Hermione was sent with a force towards the same wall Molly had hit earlier.

"Hermione!" Ron screamed, he ran towards her and was quick to protectively stand over her and Arthur helped him hold off the continuous curses being thrown at them before finally disarming Bellatrix and tying her up. Sirius quickly made his way over to Snape and Harry who had cornered Voldemort with the help of Dumbledore.

Voldemort looked around and for a second his world stopped, he knew his chances of killing Potter tonight were fading by the second. "Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort screamed and the killing curse hit Narcissa in the chest as she still stood protectively over Draco, her body hit the floor lifelessly.

"Expelliarmus!" Snape screamed and he dropped his wand, Sirius grabbed it before he had a chance to receive it.

Everyone stood with their wands pointed at each other, the field fell to silence as the last words uttered quickly evaporated into the air, the only sound breaking the silence was the harsh breathing coming from everyone. A blood curdling scream erupted sending chills down their spines "MUM!" Draco roared and they all turned to see the blonde boy cradling his mum.

Voldemort pulled out a knife and before anybody had the time to blink he forced the blade into Harry's chest "Live like a muggle, die like one!" he screamed before hexing Sirius with wandless magic to retrieve his wand and after a bang he was gone.

Harry's eyes grew wide, he felt as though he had been punched in the chest and his breath left his body, he looked down to see the large wooden handle imbedded in his body. He looked at Severus who was looking at him in horror, he let out a faint choking noise before falling to the ground.

"Harry…Harry!" Severus said quickly getting down on his knees and holding Harry to keep his head up. "Harry listen to me, you're going to be okay" he said but he was completely lost for words. He put his hand over Harry's and pressed hard but the blood quickly seeped through both of their hands. Harry turned to his left to see Sirius was by his side as well, he dropped one of his arms limply in Sirius' direction and he nodded instantly taking his hand.

"Sir" Harry choked, his body was willing him to close his eyes but he fought to keep them open. Second by second he could feel his body closing down as it grew weaker but he had to say goodbye "thank you"

Severus shook his head instantly "no Harry, please don't say that" Severus blurted out desperately "you're going to be okay"

"It's okay, Sir" Harry whispered as a single tear rolled down his cheek "look after Ron and Hermione"

"Harry, stop" Severus begged.

"I love you" Harry whispered.

"I love you too, son" Severus said "but you have to hold on"

"Die like a muggle" Harry laughed slightly as the tears rolled down his cheeks, he was torn between feeling every ounce of pain he'd ever felt at once and nothing at all, his eyes slowly began to close and the pain finally stopped.

"ALBUS, HELP!" Snape screamed and the field, once more, fell to silence.

 **Aaaaand here's another chapter! This one was mostly written before I posted the last one that's why it was uploaded pretty quickly. I'll possibly have a second chapter up today, if not next weekend so look out for that to see what happens!**

 **Again, I know Voldemort wouldn't appear like this at this stage in the books you don't need to tell me.**

 **Thank you to mandancie, Jaspers Mom, HGranger89, Gurgaraneth, lilly-flower15 and PiffyEQ for your reviews on the past few chapters. I do read them and I'm very excited people are enjoying reading this story.**

 **As for Harry and Ginny I have no intention of giving them a romantic relationship in this fic but whether that will change or not I'm not sure. But it definitely will never be a fic focused around their romantic relationship.**

 **See you all soon!**


	10. Chapter 10 -Aftermath

Severus looked down as Harry lay lifelessly in his arms the colour had drained for his cheeks and the pain was still laced across his pale faced "Harry?" he choked but he was met with silence.

"We need to get him to St Mungo's" Dumbledore said but Severus didn't reply, he stared down helplessly at Harry's lifeless body, his hard exterior and his cold hostile outer core was shattered and all that remained was fear and terror. "Severus now is not the time to fall apart" Dumbledore whispered in his ear gently noticing the man was about the crumble "Hold it together my boy, I'm here" he said and Severus nodded picking Harry up and getting to his feet. "Mr and Mrs Weasley, take the children back to Snape Manor and contact Madam Pomphrey for any minor injuries" Dumbledore ordered and they nodded.

"Where will we live, Mum?" Fred asked looking slightly lost "The house is trashed and the wards are down"

"There's plenty of space at mines" Severus offered knowing he would probably regret it, but he couldn't refuse the family that had done so much for Harry "Dolly will be able to allocate you suitable rooms" he said and Molly nodded thanking Snape with her eyes, she was still leaning on Arthur for support "Please look after Draco" he said looking directly at Molly and she nodded again. In a flash Snape was gone and Dumbledore was talking to some newly arrived order members who had arrived to collect Lucious and Bellatrix.

. . .

Back at Snape Manor the Weasley's, Draco and Hermione arrived but nobody spoke, they all looked around helplessly lost for what to do with themselves. Ginny ran down the stairs the second she saw them "I couldn't find anyone…Harry…" she gasped but they nodded showing they understood and she went silent instantly "Where is he?" she asked but nobody spoke.

"Ginny…" Ron sighed.

"He's not dead" Ginny said shaking her head frantically "he's Harry, he's not dead"

"We don't know, Ginny" Hermione said sitting down helplessly wishing she'd never left Harry alone.

Madame Pomphrey arrived a few second later with Mr Weasley and her eyes instantly widened at the sight.

All the younger ones especially seemed to be in shock not quite noticing how bruised and battered they all were, Hermione especially had an open wound on her forehead but didn't seem to notice it.

"Can I check you over?" Madame Pomphrey asked and Hermione nodded lying down limply on the sofa letting the diagnostic spell warm her body. "I'm going to give you a balm for the bruises and heal that wound, do you need a pain relief potion?" she asked and Hermione shook her head but still didn't speak. When she finally sat up Ron was quick to sit next to her but she looked away.

"Hermione?" Ron asked nervously.

"Don't, Ron" she said simply, although the entire situation wasn't Ron's fault he had unintentionally torn apart the golden trio and if anything happened to Harry she doubted she would forgive him.

"Are you hurt, Ron?" Madame Pomphrey asked.

Ron shook his head still staring at Hermione lost for what to do.

Madame Pomphrey quickly checked over Molly who was quick to brush her off, although she did require a pain potion, she was more relieved all of her children had made it out alive and with minimal damage, but that was a lie, her thoughts turned to Harry and then to Draco and it sunk in how much damage had truly been done.

Molly looked around to see Draco was nowhere to be seen and she sighed heavily, with such a large family she had been through many situations with her own children but for once she didn't know how to fix it.

"Hello Weasley family and friend, I show you to your rooms" Dolly said arriving with a pop, she quickly directed Arthur and Molly to a large bedroom with its own bathroom that was almost as big as Snape's room and Ginny to the room next door.

"Mater Fred can go here and Master George here" the little elf said pointing at different bedrooms further along.

Fred looked awkwardly towards George "if you don't mind Dolly, we would rather share"

"House is big enough for both masters" she insisted.

"We know, but we need to be with the other right now" George added and reluctantly the elf finally agreed.

Molly insisted Ron was in a room near them in case he needed them and she put Hermione in the room beside Harry's, the size of the Manor was almost intimidating for a family that were used to living in each-others pockets.

Once everyone had settled and Molly was assured nobody was seriously injured she made her way upstairs and knocked on Draco's bedroom door and waited, but she was met with silence, she knocked again and entered slowly. Her heart broke at the boy, who seemed so much smaller than normal sitting up the bed with his knees up to his chest, his eyes were red and swollen from crying and dark circles were already forming under his eyes.

"Sweetie, can I come in?" she said and he looked up at her, for a moment he had the urge to shout at her to leave and to not pretend she cared but he nodded faintly, she made her way in and sat on the edge of the bed. "I'm so sorry, Draco" she said and he stared blankly at the wall behind her, he wasn't going to cry and show anymore weakness than he already was.

They sat in silence for what must have been about 20 minutes, but Molly still showed no signs of leaving, she didn't want the boy to think he was alone. Draco debated in his head over and over whether to confide in her and finally the emotions became too much and he spoke "It's my fault" he finally whispered and Molly frowned "I refused to take the dark mark and I followed Harry out, if I had taken the dark mark or stayed away she never would have betrayed him" he whispered and finally the wall crumbled and the tears fell once more. "I killed her" he gasped.

Molly moved closer to him cautiously, she knew if she babied him he would defensively block her out again. "You know that's not true, Draco" she said putting a soft hand on his knee and he nodded. "It isn't true, the only reason people are dying is Voldemort, nobody else, not you nor Harry, just him" she said and he relaxed slightly, but deep down he knew if somebody told him that every day for the rest of his life he would still blame himself for his mums death.

"I guess I…" he began but he stopped himself, could he really confide in a Weasley? She looked at him gently and nodded at him to continue answering his unspoken question "I guess I just thought my mum and I could fix it, she wasn't a bad person, she used to cry after the death eater meetings when Dad had fallen asleep, she only did it because of him" he gasped and the tears fell harder "I know my father and I will never share a relationship again but I always hoped Voldemort would be defeated, my Dad would end up in Azkaban and I would get my mum back" he continued and Molly moved closer to him until they were sitting side by side.

"Your mum would have loved that" she said and he looked up at her, his eyes full of fear and questioning.

"I hope she would have forgiven me" he choked and Molly felt her heart sink, of course she would have forgiven him.

"Draco, when you carry a child for nine months you literally feel a life growing inside of you, you feel the kicks and the squirms and you treat your body like a temple to protect the small human growing inside you" she said and his full attention was on her words "It's an unbelievable feeling to love somebody you've never met so fiercely and then when that baby is born all of a sudden you have a tiny human being in your arms and your world turns upside down but at the same time it's right side up because you feel complete because you fall in love all over again" she said feeling emotional herself now "And then when that helpless baby begins to walk and talk and they develop a personality, you get to know them all over again like you're meeting them for the first time and the love grows stronger and eventually you just sit back and admire the beautiful human being you've dedicated your life to and you are amazed because the love you didn't think could grow any stronger grows stronger again and you know what? It continues to grow every single day" she said putting her arm around him and to her surprise he didn't fight it. "And that love is so strong and so pure than no matter what that child ever did you would always forgive them because love always comes out stronger" she finished kissing him on the head softly as he wept.

Eventually Draco fell asleep and the room fell to darkness, Molly sat lost in her own thoughts thinking of her own children and thinking of how easy it could have been for her to have died tonight instead of Narcissa, it was all about bad timing and getting lucky during the war and it made her feel sick, tears trickled lightly down her cheeks at the idea of being separated from her babies, even if they weren't babies anymore. Once she was certain Draco would be okay she turned the night light on and left the room quietly.

Back in the living room Ron was sitting by himself, Arthur had left to help Dumbledore and the twins and Hermione had retreated to their rooms to gather their thoughts and piece together what was beginning to feel like a giant nightmare. "Is Draco okay?" Ron asked as Molly entered the room.

"He is going to feel lost for a very long time" she answered simply sitting beside her son and she couldn't help herself, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly "I love you, Ron" she whispered and he nodded.

"I love you too, Mum" he replied and offered her a weak smile "I feel terrible" he finally said and she looked at him raising an eyebrow "I was horrible to Draco, Mum. I should have accepted the fact he is part of Harry's life but I took tonight as an excuse to pick a fight with him and I'm so ashamed" he said stumbling through his words as they almost felt foreign rolling off his tongue.

"Everybody makes mistakes, Ron" she replied.

"I don't understand how Harry forgave him so quickly" he whispered "it doesn't seem right he was vile at school"

"Harry has had a lifetime of having to forgive people for his own peace of mind, if you hold a grudge the only person you're pinning that hate to is yourself, because the other person probably isn't losing sleep over it" she explained running her fingers through his hair "he was also so used to being tortured by the Durley's that any other form of treatment felt like a luxury"

"Is that why he's close to Snape now?" he asked, his lack of life experience creeping into his questions.

"I feel like Snape and Harry understand each other a lot more than we know and if somebody has been through a similar pain you are drawn together because in a world with over 8 billion people that other person seems like the only living soul that understands. Severus needs Harry as much as Harry needs Severus" she said and Ron smiled.

"I'm going to apologise to Draco tomorrow" Ron said simply and Molly nodded.

"I think that's a really good idea" she reassured him with a soft smile.

"I know it won't fix anything and my opinion of him won't change overnight and I know he's different now but it's just hard to…to…"

"To forget" she said finishing his sentence and he nodded. "That's okay it takes time to forget something and I recon once you and Draco have taken the time to get to know each other you will both be just fine"

"Is Harry going to be okay, Mum?" he choked "If he dies now the last thing he is going to remember is us fighting and all the horrible words we said" he blinked back the tears.

"Harry is in the best place" she said simply.

"I don't know what I'll do if he doesn't wake up" Ron said wiping a stray tear away.

Molly sighed not wanting to offer Ron false hope "let's not give up on him" she said squeezing his hand tightly.

"Hermione hates me" Ron mumbled.

Molly shook her head "Hermione is hurting and rightly so"

"I don't know how to make it up to either of them" Ron sighed "I just want to go back to yesterday and do it all differently"

"Sadly we can't change the past but we can always use tomorrow as a new day to start fixing the future" she smiled giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. The room fell to silence as the night slowly crept over them all and there were no more words to say.

 **Okay so this chapter is slightly shorter, it just seemed like a good place to end it. Sorry there was no Harry in this chapter! Again review if you can and have a lovely day : )**

 **I considered adding to this chapter since I'm rewriting everything but it still felt like a good place to end it.**

 **I'll try and upload again this Saturday if I get time, the next chapters written but it's quite long so I'm messing around with it and trying to decide whether to break it into two chapters.**


	11. Chapter 11 - The Waiting Game

Severus arrived with a bang in a hospital wing at St Mungo's with Harry lying limply in his arms "Hang in there, Harry" he whispered as Harry's lips slowly turned blue "Please Harry, don't leave me, you have to stay with me" he begged his voice trembling till the point of desperate whispers. He shook Harry slightly "You're not allowed to leave me, I won't let you" he choked running frantically towards a group of doctors with Harry's body dangling lifelessly in his arms "He has been stabbed" he said and he flinched as his words stung, _Harry had been stabbed._

Quickly the group of doctors rushed them into a room and Harry was quickly laid out on the bed, Severus gaped at the hole in Harry's chest as they cut away his clothes, he reluctantly stood back to let them work holding his head in his hands. "Please don't die" he whined pulling at his hair, he watched helplessly as the doctors rushed around frantically grabbing various potions, drips and medical equipment before throwing the curtain around them.

A nurse gently put her hand on Severus' shoulders and he flinched at the touch, he frowned at himself knowing he didn't even have the energy to scowl at her, he just met her gaze with tormented, fearful eyes as she led him out the room. "There's a waiting room just next door, we will get you a cup of tea and if anything changes you will be the first to know" she reassured him leading him into the large empty waiting room, it was neatly decorated with standard hospital chairs, a water dispenser and a table filled with wizard magazines.

Severus collapsed into the closest chair and put his head in his hands, thoughts swarmed through his mind like a cloud of wasps and he shook his head frantically, why Harry? Why Voldemort? Why did everything he touched have to be destroyed? He wrapped his arms protectively around his body and a single tear fell from his eye.

"Severus" Dumbledore said softly entering the room. He looked down helplessly at the man who was normally invincible falling apart right in front of his eyes. He watched Severus for a moment at a complete loss of what to do, Severus nervously picked at the skin around his fingers, Dumbledore recognised this, it was something he used to do when he was younger when he was feeling vulnerable or anxious. Dumbledore sighed sitting beside the man and taking his hand to stop him from doing it.

Severus looked up and finally their eyes met, Dumbledore looked into his tormented black eyes and he saw something he had never truly seen in Severus before, it was a look of exposed desperation. "Harry is strong Severus, believe in him and he will pull through" Dumbledore soothed holding the man's hand tighter.

"We never had enough time" Severus finally choked.

"You will have time" he reassured him but Severus shook his head.

"I have so much more I want to show him, so many stories I want to tell him and now I can't" he said clenching his teeth to try and fight the tears but finally they fell. Dumbledore sighed gently. Severus had already given up, he had lost so many people it was inevitable he would lose Harry too. Dumbledore put a gentle hand on his back and let the man emotionally collapse. "I won't cope without him, Albus. I know I've only had him for a short time but he's made me feel so alive and I can't go back to being dead again if he dies I'll die too" he cried out.

"He's not going to die" Dumbledore said sternly.

"Everyone I touch dies" he said looking up once more to meet Dumbledore's concerned gaze. "My mum, Lily…Harry" he said through sobs.

"That is not your fault, Severus" Albus scolded.

"It is" he scoffed.

"Voldemort killed Lily Potter and your mum was killed in a car accident" he reminded him but Severus shook his head.

"It was my fault she was in the car that night, it was my fault she was upset" he whispered.

"Severus" Dumbledore said raising his hand to cut him off but Severus continued.

"If I hadn't have told her what my Dad did, she never would have gone out and she never would have crashed and now Harry is going to die too and it's all my fault" he said breaking down into long painful sobs as his walls fell down and the memories seeped to the surface freely. He saw his Dad towered over his small frame, he smelt his Dads alcohol infused breath linger in the air, he felt cigarette ends being pressed against his skin, he heard his Dads belt coming off and he heard his own screams. "He's in my head again" he said wrapping his arms defensively around his body.

"It's just a memory, focus on me" Dumbledore said taking the man's face in his hand and turning his head to face his "Now I need you to listen to me" he said and Severus nodded "Have I ever let you down before, Severus?" Dumbledore asked and Severus shook his head quickly "And I'm not going to start now, Harry will be okay and you will be okay too, you just have to believe me and pull yourself together, you're not a defenceless little boy anymore, Severus. Despite everything you've been through you've grown to be a powerful, intelligent man and you're a Dad now" he said and Severus' eyes grew wide "Harry is yours, not by blood but by choice" he smiled "After everything you've been through, you've come out on top Severus and Harry will be the exact same" he said and Severus nodded.

"I'm scared, Albus" he whispered and Dumbledore nodded. "I don't know if I can be strong for much longer."

"I know, son" he soothed "But I'm here, you don't have to be strong, I'll be strong for you" he said opening up his arms and hesitantly Severus moved into the older Wizards hug, Albus felt him instantly tense but he soon relaxed into the touch.

"I used to look in the mirror and see my Dad because I thought I would die like him, bitter and alone. But since Harry and Draco came along I just see me again" Severus whispered closing his eyes tightly. "I don't won't to see my Dad again" he pleaded.

"I won't let you" Albus looked up to see Minerva standing in the doorway she was wide eyed and he flinched wondering how long she'd been standing there, he shook his head and she nodded understanding and left them alone.

. . .

Professor McGonagall made her way out of the waiting room and back down the corridor shocked by what she had just seen, although Severus had definitely grown softer over the summer she'd never truly witnessed the man fall apart. Surprisingly she felt herself pleading Harry would pull through for his sake as well as her young Gryffindor's.

"I'm looking for Harry Potter?" Professor McGonagall asked one of the nurses who pointed her towards the room next to the waiting area, she quickly walked in to find Harry unconscious and bruised, his lifeless body attached to multiple machines. "Is he going to be okay?" she asked.

"Professor McGonagall" a doctor said greeting her and she smiled at the Ravenclaw boy.

"Hello Alistair, you're working as a doctor?" she asked seeming pleased.

"Yes, I'm one of many looking after Mr Potter" he said.

"How is he?" she asked.

"We've had to treat him for multiple cuts and bruises from the battle that should heal within a few days, luckily the knife was a standard muggle knife and it missed his heart but punctured his right lung and he's lost a lot of blood" he stated and she nodded cautiously "if we can keep him with us till morning his chances of surviving will be better"

"Do you think he'll be okay?" she asked desperately.

"His injuries are extensive and it's too early to tell. I'm sorry, Professor McGonagall" the doctor said sadly. "If you'll excuse me I have to go tell his guardian" he said but she stopped him knowing how harsh Snape was likely to be.

"I'll go tell him" she said and he nodded smiling at her kindly before turning to check on Harry once more.

"It's okay, I'm here" Severus said startling them both. Minerva turned to see Severus behind her looking completely haunted, his eyes were puffy and red. Dumbledore was standing protectively behind him with a hand on his shoulder looking equally as sick with worry.

"You can sit with him if you want, he is being kept under sedation for the time being but he might hear you" he said offering Severus a quick smile, he quickly walked over and sat beside Harry taking his hand.

"Harry, it's me, it's Dad" he said squeezing his hand gently "I'm so proud of you, Harry" he said and then he found himself lost for words.

"Let's leave them to it" Dumbledore said leading Minerva out the room. They made their way back into the waiting room and Dumbledore collapsed into the seat completely exhausted.

"Will he be okay?" Minerva asked sitting beside Albus.

"Harry will be fine" he nodded reassuringly "I just know it".

"I'm not talking about Harry" she said and he sighed offering her a weak smile.

"Severus will be fine" Dumbledore said simply and she sighed.

"His Dad really hurt him, didn't he?" she asked and Albus nodded. "That's why he was shouting and screaming when he had that fever a month or so ago, he thought his dad was there didn't he?" she asked.

"His dad was a monster" Dumbledore said, his tone was ice cold with hate.

"When did you find out?" she asked.

"He told me the time he stumbled into my office drunk when he was 16" Dumbledore explained "His father had passed away by then and he was tormented with the terror of me telling someone so I didn't" Minerva nodded instantly understanding. "He was physically abusive on a regular basis and had been since he was small"

"It explains a lot" she sighed.

"Harry!" Sirius shouted from the corridor.

"In here, Sirius" Dumbledore called and the man burst into the room panting.

"They've been taken to a temporary prison and Remus is on his way, they let me go I needed to be here" Sirius said and Dumbledore nodded "Where's Harry?" he asked.

"He will be okay, Sirius, he's asleep in the next…" Dumbledore began saying but Sirius ran out the room again with a quick 'thank you'.

Sirius entered the hospital room to see Severus sitting next to Harry with his head resting on the bed fast sleep, he scowled slightly out of jealously, but more so out of guilt, he should have been here sooner. "Snape" he said loudly waking Severus with a jump. "Sorry I startled you" he said raising a brow moving to the seat at the opposite side of the bed.

"You didn't" Severus scowled and he nodded.

"How has he been?" Sirius asked.

"Asleep" Severus replied sarcastically.

"Come on, Snape, I'm trying here" Sirius said holding his hands up and Severus nodded, as much as he hated this man Harry needed him here.

"It's too early to tell" Severus finally answered in a bare whisper.

Sirius nodded "Thank you" Sirius said stiffly and Severus offered him a polite nod. "Severus…after everything that has happened recently and getting my name cleared I want to be in Harry's life more" he said and Severus scowled, he didn't want Harry to be corrupted by a school bully.

"You're not taking him from me" Severus hissed defensively.

"And you're not taking him from me" Sirius snapped back. "We nearly lost him today and I don't want take him for granted again" he said meeting Severus' stern gaze "I'm not asking to take him from you"

"Because you're not fit to have a child" Severus snapped.

"And you are?"

"You live with a werewolf"

"You're a death eater"

" _Was"_

"Does the dark mark still burn, Severus?" Sirius taunted.

"Does the wolf still howl, Sirius?" Snape glared.

"When's your next play date with Voldemort?

"Shut up" Severus Snapped.

"Or what?"

"Stop it both of you!" Dumbledore growled entering the room "Now is not the time for your petty bickering" he said exasperated. "Have you completely forgotten the doctor saying Harry might hear what is said?" he reminded Severus who nodded warily and looked away.

"He's right" Sirius sighed, but Severus wasn't convinced, this man had taunted him for years and he wasn't about to trust him with the most valuable thing in his life. Severus let out a slight scoff and Sirius rolled his eyes "I don't want to take him from your home, Severus. I've accepted the fact you're…whatever you are to him" he said unable to bring himself to say the word.

"Dad" Severus finished.

"Yeah that" Sirius replied waving his hand in defeat, Harry's current living arrangements were still too much for him to process and he was growing annoyed. "I'm going to go find Remus and give you some space, if there are any changes…"

"You'll be the first to know" Severus said reluctantly and Dumbledore smiled as Sirius left the room.

. . .

Severus felt every second that slowly crept by the entire night as he sat by Harry's side listening to the various machines beep in unison. He couldn't help but reflect on the entire summer they'd been through, from the scared boy with not an ounce of confidence to a carious young man with lots of energy it was safe to say Harry had come a long way in such a short time.

His mind was strangely clinging to the small things that had become normalities in their day such as Draco waking up first and Harry sluggishly staggering into the kitchen twenty minutes later like a zombie or their quiet evenings in reading.

Christmas unexpectedly popped into his mind, the teen had probably never experienced a proper Christmas at home and now he might not get to. Slowly his mind turned to birthdays, Father's Day, New Year, Easter, snow days and all the other things Harry wouldn't get to experience properly. He shook the thoughts from his head not wanting to lose too much hope.

"Here's a coffee, my boy" Dumbledore said passing Severus a flask.

"Thanks" Severus mumbled.

"What are you thinking about?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"Christmas" Severus said simply still not taking his eyes off Harry "I doubt he's ever experienced a proper one"

Dumbledore smiled sadly "we'll make this year extra special then"

"If he wakes up" Severus choked wiping away a tear.

"Severus Snape, stop that pessimistic attitude this instance" Dumbledore scolded lightly "this is Harry Potter we're talking about"

"He's still human, Albus" Severus reminded him and surprisingly those words cut deep, it was easy to forget the-boy-who-lived wasn't invincible.

. . .

The following morning Severus sat at Harry's bedside once more, it had been a difficult night as the various machines fought to keep his breathing consistent and Severus sat awake flinching at every beep. Sirius had reluctantly gone back to Snape Manor with Remus to give Snape peace of his mind his house was still standing before heading to the ministry to give evidence.

Professor McGonagall entered the room and sighed lightly at the sight of her younger colleague, she had seen the man have various off days but it normally ended in hexing James Potter when he was younger or taking points from students for breathing too loudly. However she'd never seen him as worn out and exhausted as he looked right now.

"Severus" she said softly entering the room fully, gently she placed a mug of coffee in his hand when he didn't reply.

"I don't like instant coffee" he mumbled not taking his eyes off Harry.

Minerva sighed lightly "I know, I used the coffee machine in the hospital staff room" she said and he looked up at her surprised "so drink it or I'll throw it over you for wasting my effort"

If Severus wasn't so mentally drained he might have laughed, the Gryffindor head of house had just threatened to throw coffee over him "thanks" he finally said before looking back at Harry. The blankets had been pulled down to the teens waist to give the doctors quicker access to his chest if they needed to inspect it and it also allowed them easy access to the various tubes entering and exiting the teens body.

"He will be okay, Severus" Minerva said softly "you do know that?" she asked and he nodded.

"He shouldn't have to have gone through this in the first place" Severus sighed finally sipping his coffee "how's Draco?" he asked, he was reluctant to leave Harry's side but he also needed to be with his godson.

"Molly will look after him" she smiled lightly and he nodded "now drink your coffee" she insisted.

"Yes" Severus huffed.

"Morning" Albus said entering the room, he had a smile on his face but it was dull and his eyes were tired however he was doing his best to put on a brave face for his colleagues.

"Hello, Albus" Minerva said "there's been no change" she added and Albus nodded sadly.

"When will he be taken off sedatives?" he asked.

"When his breathing steadies" Severus answered leaning forward to move Harry's hair from his eyes.

"It won't be long" Dumbledore said sitting down next to them both "Granger and Weasley have asked to visit"

"Of course they have" Severus muttered "how are they both?"

"Miss Granger has some minor pain but mostly they're just shaken up" Dumbledore replied.

"I'm glad nobody else got seriously hurt" Minerva sighed.

. . .

Later that night after much persuasion the professors finally agreed for Ron and Hermione to visit Harry in hospital, after warning them about the various machines and how they had to remain calm and quiet they were allowed into the hospital wing.

Severus sighed lightly as both teens followed Albus into the room but lingered slightly in the doorway as if they were struggling to take in the sight in front of them, although they had seen Harry after various bumps and scrapes the boy had usually been conscious to reassure them everything was going to be okay.

Ron turned his head slightly as he felt a hand taking his own and he noticed the fear plastered across Hermione's face.

"It's okay, you can come forward" Severus said softly realising how lost they both looked, although they had seen Harry in many bumps and scrapes the fact the boy hadn't bounced back instantly must have come as a shock to them.

"Hello, Harry" Hermione whispered taking her friends hand.

"Hey, mate" Ron said sitting next to Severus who was watching them carefully.

"I wish you would wake up, Harry" Hermione whispered fighting back the tremble in her voice "we'll be living with you for a while and it's going to be so much fun"

"Fred and George miss you" Ron added "we all do"

Hermione wiped a tear from under her eye "I'm sorry we left you alone, we should have been there for you through the good and the bad" she choked breaking down into sobs.

Severus gently put his hand on the girls shoulder, she was struggling to remain as composed as Ron was managing to be "he'll be okay, there's no need for tears" he said gently and Hermione nodded turning to face her professor.

"I'm sorry none of us listened" she said unable to force herself to look up.

Severus sighed lightly "what's done is done, all we can do is learn from it" he reminded her and she nodded lightly.

Dumbledore smiled proudly as Severus hugged Hermione allowing the girl to sob freely into his chest, he silently praised his younger wizards' ability to offer support.

. . .

The following morning Severus, Minerva, Remus and Sirius sat quietly in the waiting room. Harry had grown more stable and if the results were positive there was a chance he could be taken off sedatives and wake up.

Sirius and Minerva sat side by side in silence staring at the wall whilst Remus read on the seat opposite them. Severus had subconsciously sat further away clearly feeling uncomfortable about being stuck in a room with his school bullies and the Gryffindor head of house.

Severus watched the bubbles pop as the water dispenser leaked slightly and suddenly he realised how alone he truly felt as the water finally calmed again.

"Are you okay, Severus?" Remus asked putting the book down.

"I'm fine" Severus said bluntly.

Remus offered him a weak smile but Severus only looked away "I'm sure we will get some good news today"

"I hope so" Sirius sighed "it's too quiet"

Dumbledore entered the room and Severus relaxed slightly as the older wizard sat beside him also desperate to finally here some good news.

The room fell to comfortable silence for a while with everybody completely lost in their own thoughts. Everybody seemed to be staring at a specific point in the room as if they wanted to burn holes in it and occasionally somebody would let out a small sigh and get up to pace the room. Eventually Dumbledore let out a small laugh.

"What's so funny?" Minerva asked looking over with concern.

"I was thinking about the time Harry and Ron crashed that car into the whomping willow" Dumbledore chuckled lightly.

Severus rolled his eyes "that wasn't funny"

"Oh Severus, it's funny to look back on" Dumbledore said smiling at his colleague.

"Only Harry and Ron would miss a train and take it upon themselves to fly to school instead" Sirius smiled.

"Most people would just send an owl" Remus laughed lightly.

"I remember you wanting to expel them, Severus" Minerva chuckled lightly

Severus huffed and looked away not wanting to think about the little blue car or the tree; he didn't have as many fun memories with Harry as they did.

They were finally distracted from conversation when a group of doctors entered the room and they all stood up hoping for good news.

"We have news on Harry's condition" one of the older doctors said.

"Will he wake up?" Severus asked.

"His breathing has stabled and overall he is looking a lot stronger. We are going to take him off sedatives in the morning and they it's up to him to wake up himself"

"But he will wake up?" Remus asked frowning.

"We have every reason to believe he will" the doctor smiled and everybody gasped with relief.

. . .

The next morning Harry had been taking off sedatives and it was now up to his body when it was time to wake up. Severus sat by his bed reluctant to move telling him stories about his mother hoping he could hear him and was getting some comfort. "I miss you so much, Harry" he whispered pressing his elbows into the bed and resting his chin on his arms. "It's too quiet without you laughing and shouting…what I'd give to hear you laugh right now" he blinked rapidly to fight the tears that were slowly sneaking out of his eyes.

Harry suddenly slipped into consciousness, he could hear voices around him, his entire body was numb and the world was pitch black. He begged himself to open his eyes but he couldn't, he was trapped in his own body and all he could do was listen. "Harry please wake up" a muffled voice begged, he concentrated hard through his dazed thoughts "Please…" the voice begged again and he instantly recognised Severus' voice. _I'm here, Dad, I'm here._

"I want you to wake up and tell me to stop being an idiot, tell me to stop crying" _No don't cry I'm here…I'm listening_ "Harry wake up and call me a dungeon bat or something…anything…" he said running his fingers through his hair and falling back into the chair. "Please just open your eyes" he begged but Harry fell into darkness again.

"I don't like orange juice" he heard a voice say and he was back in his pitch black world "I don't like orange juice" he heard a voice saying "No I don't want it" the voice snapped again and he knew instantly it was Severus by the tone alone as well as the dislike for orange juice, he begged his body to let him open his eyes but he couldn't and darkness took over his body once more. _Please just drink it._

The muffled sounds returned and again Harry fought through his dazed state to listen to them.

"Morning Sir, Bloody hell!"

"Language, Mr Weasley!" Severus was still there and so was Ron, with all his strength he tried to move his lips to let them know he was there too but he couldn't. He wondered if Hermione was there, he listened and listened as the muddled voices grew further away and he fell, once more, back into the darkness.

Soon the voices returned and he could hear Mrs Weasley telling off the twins, they were in trouble for what sounded like spiking Ron's hot chocolate with a potion to make his ears grow, at least they were all okay. He could also hear Severus in the background talking to what sounded like Dumbledore, did Severus ever leave his side? He wanted so much to wake up and say hello but he could only listen for a few seconds before drifting again.

"Morning Severus" Minerva said entering the room. Morning again? How long was this going to last? He could hear her discussing lesson plans and all kinds of boring things with him and he almost smirked with happiness when the darkness took him over again. "He will wake up soon, don't worry" _I'm trying Dad, it's hard._

 **Aaaand here's another chapter! It's slightly different from the original but it's still headed in the same direction**

 **Thanks everybody for the recent reviews, I've read them all and they're appreciated!**


	12. Chapter 12 - Leaving Darkness

Again Severus sat by Harry's bed watching the teen sleep peacefully, he had read from the paper and updated Harry on his day although there wasn't much to say. Severus was never one for conversation and without Harry instigating it he felt lost.

Sighing he thought back to how Harry could never remember being read to or told stories and quickly the three little pigs came into his mind.

"Once upon a time, there were three little pigs" Severus began saying and again Harry's ears were alive and listening, he hung off every word Severus said as he told the entire story of the three little pigs, Harry didn't want to fall into darkness again, he wanted to hug Severus for staying with him this entire time.

Once Severus finished the story he took Harry's hand and squeezed it tightly "I miss you, Harry, wake up soon please" he whispered. With that he couldn't fall into darkness again, he needed to be awake, he squeezed Severus' hand as tightly as he could and he heard a gasp "Harry can you hear me?" he asked softly stroking the boys hair.

Harry made an inaudible noise but he still couldn't bring himself to open his eyes "It's okay, I'm here" he reassured him and finally, after what seemed like an eternity of darkness Harry opened his eyes and he was instantly met with the cold, fearful eyes he had been longing to see.

"Mmm…" he slurred frowning, his entire body felt fuzzy and although he had never been drunk he wondered if this was what it felt like.

"I'm here, Harry" Severus said smiling.

"Welcome back Harry" Dumbledore smiled coming into view.

"Fesser Dumledrr" he mumbled and Dumbledore let out a slight chuckle.

Harry frowned instantly, _what was wrong with his body?_

"You're on strong pain medicine, don't panic" Severus soothed, his face was alive with happiness although Harry frowned at the bags under his eyes, had the man even slept?

"Dad…" Harry groaned.

Severus felt his heart jump, Harry had called him 'dad' "Are you in pain?" Severus asked and Harry shook his head.

"Harry, do you know where you are?" Severus asked softly.

Harry squinted sluggishly to look around the room but he was seeing blurry doubles of everything "potions" he muttered lightly.

"No, you're not in potions" Severus replied pulling the twisted blankets back over Harry who was determined to kick them off.

"Not in potions" Harry mumbled lying back down and closing his eyes.

"You're in hospital, Harry" Severus said lightly.

Harry's eyes shot open "no!" he cried out "I don't want to be in hospital" he slurred throwing the covers off once more.

Instantly Severus was on his feet trying to comfort the boy "it's okay, you're going to be okay" he said softly stroking the teens hair "lie back down"

Harry slumped back into the pillows "where's 'Mione?" Harry slurred.

"At home" Severus said smiling softly.

"Ginny!" he gasped throwing himself up with such a force he yelled out in pain.

"Harry, settle down" Severus said slightly more sternly than he intended to although it caused Harry to listen almost instantly "Ginny is safe, she's at home"

Harry grew silent for a second growing sulky over his guardians' tone, Severus smiled lightly glad Harry still had a bit of fight left in him. After a few minutes Harry noticed the safety bars on either side of the bed and began to try and push them away. "Why am I in a cage?" he mumbled lightly.

Severus glared as Dumbledore chuckled lightly "it's to stop you falling out of bed" he explained.

"Why would I do that?" Harry asked trying to copy his guardians raised brow expression but he just looked even more drugged.

"Because you're high on medication" Severus said simply.

"No I'm not" Harry insisted "I'm not!" he almost shouted when Severus smirked lightly at his child's stubbornness "you're on medication!" he said pointing at Severus.

"Okay" Severus said with a small smile.

"No…" he said looking at Dumbledore uncomfortably frowning as the bearded man swayed from side to side "Stay still" he frowned but Dumbledore only smiled. "Dad…" he moaned again and Severus looked at him questioningly.

"I'll give you a minute" Dumbledore chuckled quickly realising he was now the problem. He didn't take it personally knowing the drugs Harry was on were ridiculously strong. "I'm going to let Minerva know he's awake, we'll be back within the hour" he said leaving quickly.

"What is it?" Severus asked.

"I need to pee" Harry whispered trying to sit up but Severus stopped him instantly.

"Harry you need to stay still, your body is healing" he scolded.

"Need to pee" Harry slurred again.

"You have a catheter" Severus explained.

"A what?" Harry frowned.

"A catheter" Severus repeated.

"I don't want to have a disease!" Harry cried out and burst into tears, Severus eyes widened with confusion but he had to fight every urge to laugh.

"It's not a disease, just pee" he said waving his hand in defeat. After a moment of thought Harry clicked on and looked less like the world was ending.

"Draco?" Harry asked.

"Draco is at home" he reassured him and Harry nodded.

"What happened to the death people and volmort?"

"The _death eaters_ and _Voldemort_ escaped" he said "How much do you remember?" Severus asked.

"I remember Ginny and Ron and fighting and…that's it" he said and Severus sighed, he was going to have to tell him at some point Narcissa was dead. "Does Ron still hate me?" Harry asked looking down.

Severus shook his head "of course he doesn't, he's been here most days visiting"

"How many days have I been here?" Harry asked.

"Six days" Severus replied "The Weasley's are living with us for the time being" he said as a distraction but Harry had found his own distraction, he let out a light scream that startled Severus and started violently shaking his hand.

"It's biting me!" Harry shouted frantically showing him his hand.

Severus instantly grabbed his hand to settle him "It's checking your oxygen levels, leave it alone" he ordered, he sighed with exhaustion as Harry was slowly beginning to notice the various things attached to his body. He had a drip in his left arm, an oxygen tube up his nose and little stickers on his chest.

"Muggle stuff" he whispered completely bemused, he couldn't help stop himself from fiddling with the stickers or prodding at the drip and Severus felt himself continuously telling the boy off, drugged Harry was like having a toddler.

"Not quite muggle stuff, your injuries are just too extensive to heal in one go with magic so it's being done gradually" Severus explained.

"When's Draco coming?" he asked frowning.

"He has to look after the Weasley's" Severus sighed, he wished he could be with both boys.

. . .

Severus spent the next hour trying to keep Harry distracted whilst various doctors began to swarm him to complete the health checks they needed to do when Harry was awake. Although most of these only involved checking his vision, that he had feeling and that his pain wasn't too bad Harry still found it distressing. Severus had to stop the teen sluggishly lashing out as the doctors began to clean and dress the still healing wound on his chest.

"Just focus on me" Severus said softly but Harry's eyes were clenched shut. Gently he began to run his fingers through the teen's hair and surprisingly Harry settled.

"Can we go home now?" Harry mumbled lightly when the doctors finally left them alone.

"Maybe in a few days" Severus said smiling softly, the boy was emotional but at least he was alive.

"But I don't like it here" Harry sniffled lightly wriggling to get comfortable, he had been told he was to remain on his back to let his injuries heal but he wanted more than anything to lie on his stomach with his arms stretched out underneath the pillows.

"We'll be home before you know it" Severus reassured him.

Harry distractedly began fiddling with the oxygen reader on his finger once more and Severus rolled his eyes lightly but he couldn't help but sit back and watch the teen, he looked tiny in the large bed and sunk comfortably amongst the different pillows and teddy's people had insisted on bringing him over the period he was unconscious.

"Who put those there?" Harry asked noticing the flowers on the bedside table.

"Hermione" Severus replied simply.

"'Mione" Harry repeated.

"What is it?" Severus asked when the teen began wriggling once more.

"It hurts" Harry sighed lightly before closing his eyes once more.

"Let me speak to a nurse about getting you more pain relief" Severus said getting to his feet but he stopped instantly as a hand grabbed his.

"No" Harry cried out "don't leave me" he gasped both with pain and fear.

"I'll be back in a second" Severus reassured him but the teen wasn't convinced.

Harry could feel the tears slowly beginning to trickle down his cheeks and suddenly the overwhelming emotions of everything that had happened began to set in and he didn't want to be alone with Voldemort at the front of his mind. "Please don't leave me alone"

"Hello, my boys" Dumbledore said entering the room.

"Sir" Harry choked.

"What's the matter, my boy?" Dumbledore asked softly sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I don't know" Harry sighed tiredly.

"Harry, I'll be two minutes" Severus reassured him and Harry nodded lightly, he didn't mind as much now that he knew Dumbledore was here.

"How are you feeling?" Dumbledore asked.

Harry shook his head, he didn't feel too good "I feel sick" he mumbled.

"Do you need to be sick?" Dumbledore asked cautiously and Harry shrugged.

Sirius entered the room right as Harry threw up into a bucket Dumbledore had luckily retrieved in time "what's happening?" he asked cautiously.

"Sirius" Harry choked looking up at his godfather.

"I think it's a side effect of the medication" Dumbledore said simply knowing how strong the painkillers were.

Harry frowned at how calm Dumbledore was being when suddenly all he wanted to do was cry "Sirius" Harry choked.

"It's okay" Sirius said softly and without thinking he climbed onto the bed next to Harry allowing the teen to rest his head on his chest "just close your eyes and relax everything is fine"

Harry settled instantly at his godfathers soothing tone and his eyes began to close, if it wasn't for the pain he'd be fast asleep "I have to ask Professor McGonagall a question" Harry mumbled.

"What question?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"I think I might be a cat" Harry said seriously causing Sirius to laugh lightly.

"Well I'm sure she'll pop by later" Dumbledore chuckled lightly.

Severus quickly entered the room causing the two older wizards to turn round instantly at the abrupt entrance, it was obvious he had ran the length of the hospital ward just to get back quicker. "Harry, I need you to drink this" Severus said holding the vial up to Harry's lips.

"What is it?" Harry mumbled.

"It's for the pain" Severus replied leaving out the part about the sleeping draught in case the teen refused it.

Quickly Harry fell into a peaceful sleep still lying peacefully against Sirius who was also seeming more than content about being here to help is godson.

"You're not supposed to be on the bed" Severus said simply.

Sirius shrugged "when do I ever do what I'm told?"

"Good point" Severus said defeatedly.

"Severus, why don't you go home and shower?" Dumbledore asked softly "you could be doing with a proper meal and some sleep as well"

"It's barely past lunch time I don't need to sleep" Severus said shaking his head.

"I beg to differ, my boy" Dumbledore said taking a good look at the younger wizard, he had large bags under his eyes and for the first time Dumbledore could ever recall Severus looked scruffy

"I don't mind staying with him" Sirius added "it gives you a chance to check on Draco"

"I'm not sure" Severus sighed exasperated, he knew Harry would be safe but for his own sanity he wanted to be with the teen at all times.

"We can swap at seven so then I can be with Remus" Sirius added.

"Full moon?" Severus asked and Sirius nodded. "What if Harry wakes up and needs me?" Severus asked looking more at Dumbledore for reassurance.

"I'm sure we'll manage to settle him but if not one of us will come for you" he said looking over at Severus "go home, my boy"

"I'll be back at seven" Severus sighed lightly running his fingers through his hair "any problems, Albus…"

"You'll be the first to know" Dumbledore smiled.

. . .

Severus arrived with a small pop in Snape Manor and he instantly sighed at how quiet the house was, especially for mid-afternoon. He made his way into the kitchen and poured himself a large glass of water before leaning against the worktop and closing his eyes, he hadn't noticed how tired he was but suddenly he could fall asleep standing up.

"Sir" Hermione asked appearing in the doorway "how's Harry?" she asked cautiously.

"He's awake" he said simply.

"He's awake?" Ron asked appearing in the doorway, he couldn't keep the relieved smile from plastering his face.

"Well he's gone to sleep now but he's out of the coma" Severus continued "he's still on a lot of pain medication"

"When can we see him?" Hermione asked.

"I'll ask somebody to bring you both in tomorrow if he's up for it but today he needs to rest" he said simply taking a large sip of water.

"Are you okay, Sir?" Hermione asked realising by the second how exhausted the professor was as his hand shook lightly holding the glass of water.

"I'm okay, Hermione" he said simply "where's Draco?" he asked.

"Upstairs" Ron replied "Fred's sitting with him" he added and Severus raised a brow slightly at the idea of one of the twins spending time with his Slytherin.

"If you'll excuse me" Severus said simply before leaving the kitchen.

"He looks dead on his feet" Ron whispered and Hermione nodded.

"I don't know what we can do to help" she sighed.

"Help what?" Mrs Weasley asked entering the kitchen.

"Professor Snape is home and we don't know what to do to be helpful" Hermione explained.

"Why don't you make him some lunch?" she suggested "with how much he has to deal with right now he might not have time to think about food"

"Let's do it!" Ron said eagerly as they flipped open a large cook book.

. . .

Severus knocked gently on the door to the Slytherin's room and he wasn't surprised when it was Fred that called out to enter, slowly he opened the door to find Fred sitting at the edge of the bed and the Slytherin fast asleep.

"How has he been?" Severus asked quietly.

Fred sighed "sometimes he'll talk and other times he just stares at the wall"

"Is he eating at least?" Severus asked.

"Mum's trying but he only eats a little bit at a time" Fred answered and Severus nodded lightly.

"It's better than nothing" he said moving over to see the blonde better, he had done his best to see Draco when Harry was unconscious but what he'd give to have both boys in the same place. "If he doesn't start eating properly over the next few days let me know because I can brew potion supplements and spoon feed him if I have to"

Fred let out a small, melancholy laugh before looking back at Draco, even when the teen was asleep he didn't look relieved from the emotional trauma of everything that had happened; his cheeks were tearstained, his eyes baggy and his breathing hoarse.

"Uncle Sev" Draco muttered opening his eyes.

"I'll leave you both to it" Fred said quietly leaving the room.

"I'm here, Draco" Severus said lying down on the bed, Draco quickly cuddled into his guardians chest and closed his eyes once more and within minutes they were both fast asleep.

. . .

After four hours sleep and a quick shower Severus sat in the living room taking a few minutes to gather his thoughts, he still had an hour until he had to go back to St Mungo's but he had done everything he needed to do and if Draco was asleep he was meanwhile heading back.

Severus jumped lightly as Molly entered the room carrying a tray of food. "I didn't mean to scare you" she said softly and he nodded lightly staring back down at the ground.

"You didn't" he mumbled lightly.

"I hope you like stir fry" she said softly putting the tray down on the table, Severus looked up with confusion and she smiled lightly "Ron and Hermione wanted to help, I put a warming charm over it since you fell asleep" she explained and he smiled lightly completely unsure of what to say.

"Molly" he finally sighed looking up "how do you do it?" he asked.

"Do what?" she asked frowning lightly.

"Cope" he explained "there's so much to being a parent some mornings I don't even know where to start"

"I think you're just overwhelmed" she said eying the man curiously.

"It's easy enough to feed them and keep them clean but when they're sick or upset I have no idea how to fix it" he sighed dropping his head into his hands "I've one kid mourning and the other in intensive care and I can't be in two places at once"

"Severus" she smiled lightly "you don't have to do it all on your own, you have an army of people who are here to help with both Harry and Draco"

"I still don't know how to fix it" he sighed.

"Sometimes you can't fix it" she said and he looked up confused. "Sometimes you just have to wait it out and offer comfort until it passes and I've seen you with the boys so I know you'll be fine"

"I don't know how you do it with so many" he sighed shaking his head lightly.

"Practice" she said simply "but even still I always learn something new every day"

"I just want them to be okay" he sighed heavily.

"They will be" she insisted "remember you're not on your own, you'll have Arthur and I here for the time being and no doubt Dumbledore and Sirius will come and go"

"I'm glad Ron and Hermione will be here" he said almost surprising himself.

. . .

The next morning Harry woke up, still dazed on the strong painkillers, although after an hour long debate the catheter, stickers and oxygen checker were removed and he was allowed out of bed if he was assisted and was careful not to damage the drip, Harry had struggled with staying still as his mind quickly grew restless. "Dad, where you sleeping?" he slurred sleepily.

"On this chair?" Severus replied confused.

"You need a proper sleep" Harry scolded and he rolled his eyes.

"I will in a few days when I get you home" he replied. Harry frowned and looked around the room desperately before biting his lip. "What is it?" Severus asked leaning forward.

"I need to pee" he said.

"I'll help you" Severus said getting to his feet. "Do you think you can walk?" he asked and Harry nodded, he sat up slowly and carefully, even though he didn't hurt at all he had been told multiple times his body was far from healed. He stood from the bed and instantly stumbled into Severus. "It's okay, I've got you" he said guiding the boy towards the bathroom door but Harry swayed, eventually Severus picked him up fully and charmed the drip to follow them to the bathroom so Harry could do his business, luckily Harry was too high on medication to fight Severus out of the bathroom.

Quickly Harry was back in bed and his head sunk into the pillow, the small bathroom trip alone had exhausted him "Dad go check on Draco, I'm going to go to sleep anyway" Harry ordered and Severus shook his head.

"I think that's a great idea" Dumbledore said entering the room with Minerva "You should go home, rest up and shower and we'll keep Harry company until you're back" Dumbledore smiled.

"I can't he might need to pee or he might get sick or he might get sore or upset" he said listing off random excuses not to leave and Dumbledore rolled his eyes.

"We'll manage" Dumbledore said and Severus offered them a weak nod knowing it wasn't up for debate.

"I'll be back tonight" Severus insisted and Dumbledore offered him a light nod, Severus sighed with relief that Dumbledore was here, he had grown to trust the old man completely and right now he needed somebody he could trust with Harry.

. . .

Severus arrived with a bang in Snape Manor. He walked by Hermione, Ron and Ginny who were all in the library studying, Hermione was taking full advantage of Snape's book collection and it made him smile slightly, really she could have gone home to her parents but she seemed happy here so he didn't mind. He quickly made his way into the kitchen to greet Molly "Hello" he said and she turned and greeted him with a smile.

"How is Harry?" she asked.

"High on drugs" he said rolling his eyes and she laughed slightly "He's doing well, what about Draco?" he asked feeling instantly guilty he hadn't been around for his other child.

"He's very quiet and would rather stay away from the others, but it's understandable" she said and he nodded.

"I'm going to check on him" Severus said quickly making his way up to Draco's room, he knocked on the door and entered almost instantly without giving the boy a chance to reply. "Draco" he said sitting down next to him "I'm so sorry" he said wrapping his arms around the boy and Draco instantly curled into him.

"I miss her" he whispered.

"I know you do" he said "I will get you through this okay?" he said staring into Draco's pained eyes and to his surprise Draco nodded.

"Mrs Weasley said she would have forgiven me for not taking the dark mark" he said softly.

"Knowing your mum, which I did, she would have been proud of you for not taking it in the first place" he said reassuringly, it suddenly pained him as it sunk in Narcissa was actually gone.

"How's Harry?" Draco asked.

"He'll be home in a few days, he keeps asking for you" Severus soothed and Draco smiled.

"I can't wait for him to come home" he said.

"Come see him?" Severus offered but Draco instantly shook his head.

"I can't handle everyone staring at me right now" he admitted.

"It's okay, I understand" Severus said offering him a faint smile, he didn't speak to anyone for days after his mum died. "Have the Weasley's been okay?" he asked partly making conversation but partly paranoid the twins had charmed everything down to the toilet paper.

"Fred and George sit with me quite a lot and we play chess and sometimes Hermione comes in" he said and Severus smiled.

"Ron?" Severus asked.

"Not as often, but he did apologise for everything and it's in the past, I think he feels awkward because he doesn't know what to say" he stated.

"It can be hard to know what to say when there is nothing you can say to fix it" Severus explained and Draco nodded, he didn't mind too much.

"Molly sits with me every night till I fall asleep and she tells me stories" he said changing the subject slightly.

"Stories about what?" Severus asked curiously, he mentally praised Molly for looking after his boy, he had found an entire new level of respect for the Weasley's.

"Random things, I think she just makes them up each time" he shrugged.

"It wouldn't surprise me, I'm sure she's had plenty experience" he said smiling lightly holding Draco closer and giving him a tight squeeze, Draco's eyes slowly began to shut and he played with the boys blonde hair gently until finally he fell asleep.

. . .

Once Draco finally fell asleep Severus went for a quick shower, the warm water was soothing against his tired aching body and he scrubbed away the day, quickly he changed into plain black trousers and a casual black shirt before heading back to St Mungo's for another night. He arrived in the room to see Harry over emotional and Dumbledore listening intently "I don't know why Peeves does that" he gasped wide eyed and Severus relaxed instantly, he was fine, just on drugs.

"Peeves is horrible, just ignore him" Dumbledore said before offering Severus a small smile.

"I want my Dad" Harry sniffled and Severus' heart tightened.

"I'm here, what is it?" he asked sitting by Dumbledore at the side of the bed. Harry shrugged looking confused, he didn't even know why he was so overly emotional and he frowned. "I think someone is tired" Severus said offering him a smile and Harry nodded.

"Every time I close my eyes I see Voldemort" he sniffled. Within a second Snape was out the chair and on the bed cuddling Harry tightly, Harry relaxed into his chest and closed his eyes.

"When can we go home?" Harry asked.

"Soon" he sighed as the room fell to silence, shortly after Severus could feel Harry's breathing relax as he fell into a deep sleep and almost instantly he followed into a dreamless sleep. Dumbledore watched them his eyes filled with love, he smiled to himself that the two boys he loved had grown to love each other.

 **Decided I'd post again today because the chapter is here and I don't plan on changing it. Sorry if that's too many in one go but I'll be busy so I'd rather it be up than sitting on a laptop for days.**

 **I'll hopefully have a new chapter up by the weekend but there's a lot I want to change and completely redo in the next few chapters.**


	13. Chapter 13 - Someone worse

Severus paced his office frantically, for the first time in his life he was behind with potions and he didn't know how he was going to catch back up before term started. He had lost ten days' worth of brewing and since he normally brewed two potions a day there was a lot to catch up on.

Sighing he dropped his head into his hands as he sat at his desk. His thoughts quickly turned to Harry who was finally getting out of hospital after ten days, the teen was still weak and due to his medication all he did was sleep but Severus still felt the need to be with him constantly and he couldn't help but feel guilty for leaving Draco in Molly's case so often.

"What are you doing in here, Severus?" Professor McGonagall asked, little did Severus know but panic had descended when the potions master had wandered off without a word "Albus is out of his mind with worry and Harry will be ready to come home in an hour"

Severus looked up emptily at his older colleague "I just came in to catch up on some paperwork since Sirius is occupying Harry"

Minerva raised a brow "what are you reading?" she asked curiously.

"My potions list" he replied tossing the piece of paper out the way.

Minerva could tell almost instantly the man was stressed, from day one Severus Snape had always been ahead of schedule "Nobody would blame you if you were slightly behind, Severus" Minerva said almost softly.

"I'll get it done, I just haven't worked out how" he sighed.

Minerva shook her head at his determination "never mind that, let's get going" she insisted.

"Five more minutes" Severus sighed picking up the list again.

"Leave the potions to me and I'll work it out later" Minerva insisted.

With a small look of confusion Severus followed the other head of house away from the office.

. . .

Severus arrived in the ward as Harry was struggling to his feet.

"Are you sure you can stand, Harry?" Sirius asked cautiously.

"It just takes a minute" Harry gasped.

"Are you sure he's okay to come home?" Severus asked as the doctor entered the room "he's still in pain"

The doctor nodded but offered Severus a small smile "Harry should continue to recover just as well at home as long as he continues to take his potions and rests"

"I'm ready to go home" Harry butted in, he had seen enough of the hospital to last him a lifetime and he wanted his own bed more than anything else.

"I'm glad to hear it" the doctor smiled "here's a copy of his medication timetable, I can't imagine it being a problem for a man of your expertise Professor Snape, but if you have any questions feel free to floo us" he smiled.

Severus nodded simply, he would never admit it but after what felt like an eternity of Harry being stuck in hospital he was now nervous about not having doctors around constantly. He hadn't even noticed Sirius take the timetable from his hand to inspect it.

"I don't know what half of these do" Sirius said frowning.

Severus instantly scowled "well it's a good job you don't have to" he said snatching the piece of paper back.

"Do you two ever stop" Harry said rolling his eyes and making his way towards the door slowly.

"He started it" Sirius mumbled only loud enough for Severus to hear as he followed Harry out of the hospital room, Severus frowned but quickly followed not taking the bait.

. . .

They arrived in Snape Manor to…silence, Snape instantly frowned; with the Weasley parents, Fred, George, Ron, Ginny and Hermione under his roof it shouldn't be this quiet. "I thought you said they'd moved in?" Harry asked in confusion, he also couldn't understand the silence.

"Have you killed them?" Sirius smirked.

Harry laughed lightly and smiled looking around at the large living room they had just entered by floo. He had missed home a lot these past few days since he truly was starting to feel better. Severus noticed him smiling and his heart warmed, it was a relief to have him home. Suddenly their bubble was burst by an ear piercing scream from the kitchen and Severus instantly drew his wand and pushed Harry behind him.

"Hermione help!" Ron screamed.

"Stay here" Severus ordered before quickly running into the kitchen with Sirius not far behind. Nothing could have prepared him for what he saw; Ron was standing on a chair, Hermione was frantically rummaging in the cupboards and Fred and George were dying of laughter in the corner. "What's going on?" Severus asked and they all jumped with surprise.

"Sir there's a spider! Please get it out" Ron begged and the twins erupted into fits of laughter. There was a house spider about the size of the palm of a hand sitting in the middle of the kitchen floor; it didn't look too fazed by all the commotion. Severus instantly sighed with relief; he couldn't help but let out a small laugh. "Please Sir, it's not funny"

"Harry, it's safe come in" he called back to Harry who was still hiding in the other room, instantly Hermione forgot about the spider and grabbed Harry into a massive hug "be gentle" Severus instructed and she nodded.

"Professor" Ron shouted and Severus rolled his eyes, he bent over and gently scooped the spider up into his hands.

Ron watched in horror, he was worried Snape would throw it at him for all the cheek he'd given him over the years. He sighed with relief as Snape put it outside before returning to the kitchen.

"Where are your parents?" Severus finally asked the twins.

"At Diagon Alley with Ginny and Draco, we're in charge" the Twins smirked.

"Draco went?" Severus asked surprised.

"Mum made him, she was worried he would get too used to hiding away" Fred explained and Severus nodded, it wasn't a bad idea.

"Doesn't sound like too bad an idea, have you all had lunch?" he asked and they nodded. "I'm going to get your potions, I'll be back in a minute" Severus said to Harry before strolling out the room.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to seeing Snape not in robes" Ron said finally getting down from the chair.

"He was beside himself with worry, Harry" Hermione said as they all sat at the table, Harry nodded gently, he had the dazed memories of Severus begging him to wake up so he could only imagine how distressing it would have been.

"It was weird, no matter how much Mum and Dumbledore nagged him they couldn't get him to eat or sleep, he just wanted to stay with you" Ron said.

"You should have seen McGonagall trying to give him orange juice" Ron said.

"He doesn't like orange juice" Harry mumbled almost to himself. Severus came back in and Harry stood up slowly and with a weak smile he retreated from the room.

"Is he okay?" Fred asked, Snape was beginning to realise how much these students really did care about Harry and he nodded.

"He's still recovering, I'll go check on him" Severus said before quickly leaving the room once more.

Severus made his way into Harry's room to find Harry sitting on the bed lost in his own thoughts; he made his way in quietly and sat next to him on the bed.

"I'm sorry, Dad" Harry finally said and Severus' eyes narrowed in confusion.

"What for?" Severus asked softly. Harry couldn't join his thoughts together to form an answer, he was tired and sore. Slowly the tears began to fall down his cheeks "hey, why the tears?" Severus asked putting an arm around him.

"I shouldn't have run off on my own" he finally said "I just didn't want Ginny to die" he explained but Severus stopped him.

"Harry, I know you well enough now to know your reasons for what you did" he said calmly "In the future I hope you make better choices, but it was stupid on our part to not leave you all with an adult in case you did have a vision" he said gently moving the hair out of Harry's eyes.

"We are old enough to know better and I walked straight into a trap, I was so stupid" he sniffled and Severus shook his head.

"You're not stupid. As much as you and your friends want to deny it you're all just children, you lack life experience and you still can't fully sense danger especially when your friends are involved" he soothed and Harry pressed his head against his chest, he was beginning to realise how emotionally exhausted he was "But you're also not just children, you're ridiculously brave individuals that just haven't worked out when something is too dangerous just yet"

"But how do you work it out? Because it always feels like there's no choice but to face it" Harry gasped through tears.

"You come to me and let me work it out, you don't have to do anything on your own anymore; you're my son and it's my job to keep you safe but sometimes you have to let me" he said with a more serious tone.

Harry nodded and let out a huge sigh "am I going to be punished?" he asked his eyes were wide with fear, Severus quickly realised that Harry leaving the house was the first time Harry had ever disobeyed him. If he entered the boys mind right now he knew he would find all levels of the Durley's abuse sitting at the front of his memory.

"No Harry, I feel like this past week has been punishment enough" he said and Harry relaxed instantly "and for the record, if you ever were in trouble I would never hit you or do anything that you would find distressing" he said moving Harry's head so their eyes met.

"I love you, Dad" Harry said closing his eyes and becoming lost in his own thoughts, day by day the Dursley's were feeling more like a bad dream and this new dream like bubble he had been living in was beginning to feel like reality.

"I love you too" Severus said smiling lightly at the teen "let's get you to bed" he said simply and Harry nodded lightly too tired to protest. Severus gently placed the blankets over the teen who was already drifting in and out of sleep, the trip back from the hospital alone had exhausted him.

Severus took a moment to watch his son, although the bruises were fading and the scars were healing the boy still looked battered and his blood boiled lightly that somebody had did this to his child. Finally he turned on the night light and closed the door.

As Severus entered the living room there was a bang as the other Weasley's and Draco came through the floo, Severus sighed at how exhausted Draco looked, he had bags under his eyes, his hair was messy and he looked thin, this was ridiculously out of character for Draco.

"Hello, Severus" Molly said warmly.

"Molly" he greeted her with a smile.

"I'm going to start making dinner, do you want anything specific Draco?" she asked and he shrugged.

"Ginny go finish your homework in the library please and Severus can I show you something quickly?" she said with a smile and he looked at her with a raised brow. She led him into the kitchen and suddenly her smile changed to a face of concern.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I haven't been able to get Draco to eat in nearly three days, I thought taking him out for food might help but it just stressed him out" she said looking slightly guilty.

"It's okay Molly, I'll try get through to him later" he said offering her a weak smile.

"He isn't sleeping either, he fights it for hours then wakes up throughout the night" Molly continued and he nodded.

"Thank you for looking after him" Severus said and she scoffed.

"I've barely managed that" Molly said looking defeated.

"You've tried, that's all anyone can do" Severus said and she nodded "I'm going to go speak to him" Severus said entering the living room again but Draco wasn't there, he quickly made his way up to his room but he wasn't there either "Draco?" he called out but the large hallways were silent. He stuck his head through the gap in Harry's door and sighed with relief at the little blonde head tucked up in Harry's bed, both boys were fast asleep and for once out of emotional pain.

. . .

Harry woke slowly and quickly noticed Draco was awake and staring at the ceiling "hey" he said smiling weakly.

"Hey" Draco said simply.

"I'm sorry about your mum" Harry said softly and Draco nodded.

"Don't be, I'm okay" Draco insisted.

Harry shook his head "you're not and I wouldn't expect you to be"

Draco sighed and finally met Harry's stare "I feel empty" he said once again fighting back tears.

"I'm sorry I can't fix it" Harry said.

"She was a death eater, I wouldn't expect you to want to" Draco sighed looking away awkwardly "people will be happy she's dead"

Harry shook his head "I think I'd rather remember her as your mum, that's who she truly was"

"Do you mean that?" Draco asked curiously.

Harry nodded "she couldn't have been all bad, you get your goodness from somewhere"

"I get my _goodness_ from somewhere?" Draco repeated with a small laugh "how poetically put"

"You sound like Severus" Harry laughed.

"Oh god" Draco said rolling his eyes with a small laugh.

Severus entered the room quietly with a tray of food "what are you both giggling at?" he asked curiously as they continued to laugh but secretly he was pleased, he had missed the sound of his boys laughing.

"Nothing" Harry said clearing his throat.

"I brought you dinner" Severus said putting the tray of food down on the bed.

Harry smiled, he could tell instantly it was Mrs Weasley's home made cooking and it was one of his favourites, he quickly took his fork and stabbed into the lasagne. "Have you tried Mrs Weasley's lasagne?" Harry asked Draco and he shook his head "Well you're in for a treat" he said simply before popping the food into his mouth.

Draco quickly copied him and he wasn't disappointed, the food was good and he suddenly realised how hungry he was. Severus sighed with relief, he had been hoping that Harry would bring the boy back to reality, he had told Harry earlier what happened and Harry had taken it quite well, and he was just worried about Draco.

. . .

That night was an early night for the entire household; even Ron was asleep by 11. Harry insisted Draco stayed in his room and Severus checked a final time just before midnight and they were both fast asleep, he smiled to himself and quietly crept back to his own bed, but sadly his sleep wasn't to be as peaceful.

 _Severus looked around his cold, dark room; except for his old wooden bed and his set of drawers it was empty, a draft came in through the gap in the window and he held himself tighter to keep out the cold. He longed for the day Snape Manor was colourful, bright and warm but he sighed knowing the day would never come. He could hear his parents shouting down the hallway and he tried desperately to block them out but the more he tried the more he seemed to hear._

 _They were arguing about magic, his Dad had become convinced Severus was growing into a powerful freak and it was becoming a regular occurrence that his Dad 'put him in his place' he shuddered at the thought and closed his eyes._

" _Just leave him alone! He hasn't done anything!" His mother hissed and he heard a smack as his father's palm hit her face. Severus flinched; if only he could help her but his body was frozen in fear. He heard the unsteady thud of footsteps coming down the hallway and he knew instantly his Dad had been drinking, he rolled over as silently as he could and closed his eyes willing sleep take him._

" _I know you're awake you little snake" his father hissed as the light from the hallway lit the room for a split second before the door was closed with a sudden thud, Severus flinched at the noise and his dad sniggered "I did say I knew you were awake. Sit up!" he shouted and instantly Severus obeyed. The man slapped him coldly across the face but Severus didn't move. "Why are you up so late, boy? Are you plotting to kill me in my sleep with your freaky shit?" he cursed and after a moment Severus finally shook his head. In the darkened room Severus could make out his dad picking up a photo of him and Lily "Is this your girlfriend?" he mocked "she's pretty I'll give you that" he said but Severus didn't reply, he was too busy focusing on his heart beating. "Does she know how pathetic you are?" he asked and Severus shook his head "didn't think so" with a forceful snap the cheap plastic frame broke into two and he ripped the photo up._

" _No!" Severus finally shouted and lunged at his dad but a swift punch across the head knocked him back down onto the bed._

" _You thought you could attack me, boy?"_

" _No!"_

" _After all I've done you try to assault me?"_

" _I didn't!" Severus begged "you ripped up my photo and I love her"_

" _Pretty girls like that don't love damaged goods" his dad laughed and Severus could feel the tears forming in his eyes._

" _I'm not damaged!" he shouted._

" _Well let me remind you how damaged you are" he hissed._

. . .

Harry was awoken by a bang in the middle of the night. He instantly nudged Draco who woke up instantly. "Did you hear that?" he whispered but Draco shook his head. There was another bang and they both jumped and looked at each other.

"I heard it that time, let's go see what it is" Draco said getting out of bed and Harry instantly followed.

"We should go get Severus" Harry said as they reached the door and Draco nodded, they crept into Severus' room to find him thrashing on the bed.

"Dad, wake up!" Harry shouted but it did nothing "wake up!" he shouted again but Severus continued to whimper and last out. Draco grabbed a glass of water from the bedside table and soaked him with it "Draco what are you doing?" Harry shouted and Draco shrugged.

"No please don't touch me, don't hurt me" Severus cried.

"I'm trying to wake him up" Draco shouted back. "Is he under a curse?" Draco asked and Harry's eyes widened; maybe it was Voldemort?

"What's going on?" Mrs Weasley asked appearing in the doorway, she looked slightly dazed and Harry instantly felt guilty for shouting and waking her up, Ron and Hermione appeared in the doorway too.

"We think he's cursed, we need to get Dumbledore!" Draco shouted.

"We'll get him" Ron replied before grabbing Hermione's arm and running towards the floo.

"Wake up!" Harry continued to shout but it did nothing. Severus continued to shake frantically and mumble, Harry was beginning to think he was having a seizure as the older man refused to wake up trapped in whatever was happening in his unconscious body.

"Severus?" Dumbledore said entering the room.

"Professor, he won't wake up" Harry said and Dumbledore nodded "Draco soaked him but it did nothing"

"Leave me with him and go wait in the living room" Dumbledore ordered and they all nodded hesitantly before leaving the room. Dumbledore sat down on the edge of the bed and started talking gently. "Severus can you hear me?" he asked "I need you to wake up now, it's the middle of the night and the boys are awake and they are worried about you" he continued and Severus calmed slightly at the sound of the man's voice "it's just a dream now open your eyes" he ordered and after a few seconds Severus' eyes opened.

"Albus" he tried to frown but the fear in his eyes gave away he was feeling vulnerable.

"What happened"? Albus asked moving the man's hair out of his eyes, Severus flinched and he instantly sat back and sighed.

"He…" Severus couldn't finish the sentence, he was completely lost in the dream again and his body began to shake. Dumbledore hesitantly moved closer and pulled the younger man into a hug, he flinched instantly and tried to push him away but Dumbledore persisted.

After a minute or two Severus finally relaxed into the older man's arms, "It's just me" Dumbledore reassured him and they sat in silence for a while.

Severus slowly came back to reality; he wasn't in a cold, dark, empty house with his Dad anymore, he was in his bright, warm, full home with Dumbledore and his heart warmed a little.

"Are you feeling a little better?" Dumbledore asked.

"Why am I wet?" Severus scowled realising he was soaked through.

"Draco took it upon himself to throw a large glass of water over you" Dumbledore said stifling a laugh and Severus sighed sadly realising his boys had seen him in such a state.

"How did you get here?" Severus asked.

"The floo, my boy" Dumbledore replied "Weasley and Granger came bounding into my office shouting about curses and Voldemort" he explained and Severus rolled his eyes and then cringed realising they must have seen him in such a state as well.

"I'm guessing I woke them all up?" Severus asked for confirmation and Dumbledore nodded, he sighed instantly putting his head in his hands.

"They didn't mind" Dumbledore reassured him.

Severus realised in that moment Dumbledore was still holding him gently and he frowned instantly and pulled away "No" he whined standing up from the bed and Dumbledore watched him with confusion but stayed still and quiet "you can't touch me, I'm still dirty" he said before heading towards the bathroom "I'm going to shower"

"Severus, it's three in the morning and you're not dirty" Dumbledore tried to argue but Severus wouldn't listen, he needed to wash the memory away.

While Severus was in the shower Dumbledore took it upon himself to change the bedsheets to dry ones and he then waited patiently for the man to come back. Eventually Severus reappeared in just a bath robe that he wrapped tightly around himself.

"Better?" Dumbledore asked and he nodded.

"Sorry Albus, they shouldn't have disturbed you in the middle of the night" Severus said running his fingers through his hair.

"You know fine well I don't mind" Albus said "I meant it when I said I would be strong when you couldn't" he reminded Severus who nodded and sat down on the bed.

"I don't know why this is happening now" Severus sighed and Dumbledore put a hand on his back.

"You got a fright after everything that has happened the past week and it just brought the memories to the surface again" he explained "give it a few days, once Harry's back to running around riot and the Weasley's start misbehaving you won't have the time to remember all the bad things"

"Because my child will be out of control and the Weasley's will have set the house on fire?" Severus scoffed.

"Precisely" Dumbledore chuckled.

"I'm so excited" Severus said sarcastically.

"Why don't I go get you another glass of water and you get ready for bed again and I'll be back in a minute?" Dumbledore asked.

"You're not putting me to bed, Albus" Severus snapped and Albus laughed.

"I wouldn't dream of it, my boy" he reassured him "but I'm here anyway so I'm meanwhile doing something useful" he said retreating to the kitchen.

Dumbledore entered the kitchen to find Draco, Ron and Hermione sitting at the table with the twins looking equally as nervous behind them. Arthur was trying to comfort Ginny who was convinced the death eaters had returned for her and Molly was holding a pretty shaken up Harry.

"Is he okay?" Harry asked.

"What happened?" Draco prodded.

"It's Voldemort isn't it?" Ron gasped dramatically.

"He had a night terror" Dumbledore said simply before filling up a glass with water "he's fine everyone now go back to bed" he ordered and they all nodded and got up from the kitchen table.

"But was it about Voldemort?" Ron asked.

"No Ron, you have my word it wasn't. Now go to bed" he ordered.

Harry frowned, if it wasn't Voldemort who was it?

Harry stayed behind still feeling completely on edge "Headmaster" he said quietly.

"Yes, Harry?" Dumbledore asked.

"Maybe you could stay the night, in case anything does happen?" Harry suggested and Dumbledore sighed lightly offering him a weak smile.

"Nothing will happen, my boy" Dumbledore said confidently "but if it gives you peace of mind I will stay"

"Thank you, Sir" Harry smiled.

As Dumbledore made his way back to Snape's room he watched in confusion as Draco followed Harry into his room. "I see Draco is in Harry's room?" he asked closing the door and putting the water on the bed side table.

"If it's helping them both they can sleep where they want" Severus shrugged and Albus smiled warmly. Severus sat back on the bed and sighed, he was exhausted as his body still hadn't caught up with the past week, his eyes closed but he continued to force them open.

"Let sleep take you, my boy, I am here and nothing will happen" Dumbledore reassured him.

"I'm scared, Albus" he whispered and again his eyes closed and he couldn't bring himself to open them. For a final time the room fell to silence.

"I know you are" Dumbledore sighed and silently put a warning spell on the room and then closed the door behind him, he stuck his head in to check on Draco and Harry but they were both fast asleep and finally he made his way into a spare room and fell asleep himself.

. . .

The next morning Dumbledore left after saying goodbye to Molly, everyone else was still asleep as it was only 8 in the morning but he couldn't wait any longer, he had to get some work done. Shortly after Harry and Draco made their way downstairs, to Molly's surprise they were both up and dressed and Draco was looking a lot better.

"Breakfast?" she asked and they both nodded before sitting at the table. She piled their plates with freshly made waffles and a variety of fruit "good timing" she said to the other children as they all entered the room one after the other.

"Has Dad left for work already?" Ron asked and Molly nodded. "Where's Snape?" he asked.

"What are you doing a register or something?" Draco said sarcastically and to his surprise Ron didn't bite his head off he laughed lightly, Harry smiled at the fact neither one of them tried to tip over the table and kill the other.

"He's still in bed" Molly said "so you all have to be quiet and not wake him up" she warned them looking at the twins.

"Honestly woman" George started "we are as good as gold"

"We've not burnt the house down yet" Fred continued.

"Yet" Molly repeated.

"Or charmed the toilet paper"

"Or the microwave"

"Or the plants outside"

"Or the kitchen cupboards"

"Okay, I get the point" Molly said waving in defeat and they all laughed "but on a serious note let him sleep"

"Is he going to be okay, Mum?" Fred asked.

"He just had a bad night, we've all had them" She reassured them all and they nodded.

. . .

After breakfast Draco and Ron were deep in concentration playing chess and Harry made his way up to Snape's room, he knew fine well the man was awake and just avoiding everybody; he knocked on the door gently.

"Come in, Harry" Severus called and he smiled, he always knew when it was him knocking. "What can I do for you?" he asked looking up from his desk.

"I brought you breakfast" Harry said showing him the plate before entering and putting it on the table, Severus offered him a small smile; he was hungry but couldn't face everybody staring at breakfast, he was feeling self-conscious in his own skin.

"Thanks, son" he said and Harry smiled before sitting on the bed and opening a book.

"Why are you hiding in here?" Harry asked after a few moments of silence.

"I'm not?" Severus replied with a raised brow.

"You are" Harry insisted.

Severus sighed running his fingers through his hair anxiously "I just couldn't face everyone this morning, not after last night" he explained.

"There's nothing to be scared of, Dad" Harry reassured him and Severus scowled and didn't reply, he was scared but he couldn't explain why.

Harry noticed a pile of clothes sitting at the bottom of the bed that were still to be hung up in the cupboard, he climbed off the bed and picked the pile of clothes up from the bed and made his way towards the cupboard, taking a deep breath he opened the cupboard door.

"What are you doing?" Severus asked raising a brow, Harry _hated_ cupboards, to this day Severus still had to hang up his clothing in his bedroom because he couldn't face going in the cupboard. He watched cautiously as Harry hung up the clothes concentrating on his breathing.

"I'm s-showing you there's n-nothing to be s-scared of and it's all in your h-head" Harry finally stuttered and Severus raised a brow before getting off the bed and standing by the cupboard door.

Severus stepped into the cupboard and helped Harry hang up the remaining clothes to get it done quicker and once they were finished they both sat together on the bed, Harry visibly relaxed being back in the open space. "I'm proud of you, Harry" Severus said, his smile was genuine and honest and it made Harry blush slightly "but I still don't understand why you did it"

"Dad…" Harry began but he found himself lost for words "I know someone hurt you, I don't know who or what they did but I know it wasn't Voldemort, it was someone…worse" he said concentrating hard on saying the right thing "and I understand, Dad, I know what's it's like to be left terrified of everyday things because of something somebody else did to you and I know what it's like to want to hide away. I wanted to show you it's all in your head and you don't have to hide" he finished and Severus heart jumped, _how was this boy still so pure and kind after everything he'd been through?_

"Come here" Severus said opening his arms and Harry instantly crawled across the bed and into his father's arms "I don't know what I'd do without you" Severus said and Harry nodded.

"Who was it?" Harry asked sitting back on the bed again and Severus hesitated, _could he really tell Harry what happened? Did he want Harry to know how dirty he was?_ The room fell to silence as Severus had a mental debate with himself over whether he would or wouldn't tell Harry, he knew Harry wouldn't let it go and he also knew it might help Harry face the fears he was facing if he knew somebody understood. He didn't want Harry growing up thinking he had to be silent like he was now so he took a deep breath.

"My Dad" he finally said sighing nervously, he opened his mouth multiple times to speak but he couldn't find the words.

"What did he do?" Harry asked, he was now sitting with his legs crossed watching Severus with soft, gentle eyes.

Severus slowly started to unbutton the top few buttons of his shirt and Harry watched with confusion, he slowly pulled the shirt away from the right side of his chest and revealed tones of little circular scars across his chest.

"They're from cigarettes, Harry" Severus said almost in a whisper. Harry reached out his hand to touch the scars and Severus flinched but after a second Harry continued until his hand made contact with Severus chest.

Severus instantly tensed and Harry could tell by his chest that he was holding his breath. Harry felt the small, hard bumps on his father's soft skin, _how could anybody to that to him?_ He removed his hand and Severus exhaled and relaxed slightly.

"He did that to you?" Harry finally asked, his voice was small and Severus nodded.

"He was a drunk who hated wizards and liked to take it out on me" Severus explained buttoning the shirt back up fully.

"Is that why you shout 'no' in your sleep? Because you think he's going to burn you?" Harry asked and Severus sighed running his fingers through his hair, he looked deeply into Harry's eyes praying Harry would just work out what he wanted to say to him but he couldn't.

"He…he used to beat me regularly to make sure I remained scared of him, he was a twisted man but it got to the point I grew used to the beatings and I would just pass out"

Harry nodded in understanding, he knew what that felt like and for a second they shared a pained look.

"One night he was drunk and I had fought back so he…" words failed him again and he wrapped his arms protectively around his body "I feel so dirty" Severus whispered to himself becoming lost in the memory again completely forgetting Harry was there.

"He raped you?" Harry finally asked and the words stung, Severus gave two slight nods and the room fell to silence. Harry almost instantly climbed onto his dads lap and hugged him as tightly as he could, Severus hugged him back seeking as much comfort as he could get; he had never really mourned what actually happened. "Thank you for telling me" Harry finally said and then the room fell to silence, they both held each other and took as much comfort from the other as they could, Severus felt a huge weight lift.

Harry finally got up from the bed and closed the cupboard door, Severus watched him curiously as Harry made his way back over to the bed. "I think it's time we put the dishes in the sink" Harry said and Severus smiled, he didn't feel as scared as he had done before; he felt inspired by Harry's bravery and he wanted to show his son he could be brave too.

"I think you're right" he said picking up the plate and walking towards the door.

"It might not be easy, Dad, but we'll do it together" Harry said opening the bedroom door "Just like the cupboard" he reminded his Dad and Severus smiled.

"Just like the cupboard"

 **Okay so here's another chapter, sorry it took so long but I've been incredibly busy with work, studying and Easter. This chapter hasn't changed too much from the original because I felt it was important to keep this one similar.**

 **I think I want the next few chapters to be a bit more fun and uplifting. Although I have new bits written and old bits re-edited for the next few chapters I'm also happy to take any suggestions. What do you guys want to see happen next? If you have any ideas drop me a review or a message and if I think it will fit with what I've got planned I'll do my best to add it to the upcoming chapters.**

 **As always I hope you're all having a lovely day and if you celebrate Easter I hope you had a good Easter!**


	14. Chapter 14 - Hide and Seek

"Severus" Minerva said entering the younger wizards home office. After a long night Severus was tired and the last thing he wanted to do right now was face other people "come with me"

"Minerva I have to brew today I don't have time to go out" Severus muttered picking up the list.

"I know, I have something to show you" she said gesturing towards the door with a small smile.

"Okay" Severus said getting to his feet still holding the list as they made their way towards the potions lab "what are we doing?" Severus asked as she opened the door and led him inside.

Minerva smiled proudly at herself "I found you some new recruits" she said gesturing the five different stations where the students were broken into different pairs.

Fred and George grinned up eagerly from their station.

"Hello, sir" Hermione said smiling as she sat next to Ron ready to brew.

"Hermione" Severus replied completely confused as he looked over to see Harry and Draco were at another.

"You're supposed to be resting, Harry" Severus said turning his attention to the teen who only rolled his eyes lightly.

"I feel fine, I promise I'm up to it" Harry insisted.

"Well they're yours to use for help, I'm leaving now" Professor McGonagall said retreating from the potions lab.

Within half an hour everyone was briefed on what they were to brew and what quantities and everybody began working. Severus had thought to give the students potions they were going to come across in the near future but not ones that were beyond their brewing capabilities, although he had no doubts Hermione would manage just about anything.

Luckily with Draco being a natural he managed to keep Harry right as they stood side by side and discussed who would do what.

Severus began working on his own potion occasionally looking up to see what his students were doing and he was surprised to notice they always remained on task, except for the twins who seemed to be plotting something.

Silently he made his way over to see what they were doing; he quickly discovered George was watching the potion whilst Fred scanned the textbook for information. "What are you looking for?"

Fred jumped but grinned widely and pointed down at the textbook "we are trying to work out if we mix this with this, would it cause the drinker to have laughing fits?" Fred whispered.

Severus instantly rolled his eyes and shook his head "if you mix this with this it will cause intense burning, haven't I taught you anything?" he replied but there was no malice in his voice.

Fred sighed and looked down.

Severus raised a brow at the redheads defeated attitude "but if you mix this with this and add a drop of that it will cause your desired laughing fit as well `cause a purple tinge to their skin" he whispered.

"Thanks, sir!" Fred said as they both grinned.

"If you're planning on using this against one of your siblings or one of my children I'd rather make it with you, tomorrow morning at nine" Severus said simply before moving on to inspect Draco and Harry's potion.

Three hours later and the students staggered out of the potions lab, Ron especially had had enough of cauldrons and was ready to do something fun.

"I don't know why you're so moany, Ronald" Hermione sighed "Professor Snape basically just gave us a head start on this year's potions"

Ron rolled his eyes "if that's what you're into" he mumbled.

"What will we do now?" Harry asked to distract them both before a fight erupted, constantly having a professor in their presence was definitely causing Hermione to be more focused and Ron more annoyed at Hermione.

"Let's play hide and seek" Draco suggested.

"I don't want to be it" Ron stated instantly.

"Me neither!" Harry added.

"Or me" Ginny said meeting them as they entered the living room.

"I'll count to one hundred" Hermione said sitting on the sofa.

Instantly all the teens bolted from the room in various different directions, Ginny quickly pushed by Ron to claim the library as her own and with an angry growl he stomped down another hallway.

"Slow down the pair of you!" Molly shouted as the twins ran into the kitchen, Fred quickly hid in the pantry while George made his way into the dining room and hid behind one of the plant pots.

Draco walked down the corridor smugly, he had practically grown up in Snape Manor so he knew all the secret quirks to the house even Harry hadn't found yet, he made his way to the second floor of the house into one of the spare rooms and over to one of the wardrobes. Quietly he opened the door and then moved away one of the wooden panels within which revealed a secret door that led into a small room. Smugly he closed the cupboard door and returned the wooden panel knowing he was definitely winning this one.

Ron continued to run back towards the living room not entirely sure where was a good place to hide.

"No running in the hallways, Ron" Severus said appearing at his office door after hearing what sounding like an elephant running in his direction.

"I can't find a good hiding place" Ron gasped.

Severus raised a brow "who are you hiding from?" he asked.

"Hermione"

"Oh dear, what have you done now?" Severus smirked.

"Nothing!" Ron protested "we're playing hide and seek but I can't think of anywhere"

Severus laughed lightly "you can hide in here" he said gesturing Ron into the office.

Ron tilted his head slightly surprised Snape was willing to play along "thanks, sir" he said following Snape in.

With a mighty shove Severus moved one of the book cases and it glided out of the way revealing a second part to the room with a large chair and some books "get in" he said simply and quickly Ron ran in and Severus pushed the case back to its' rightful place.

"Coming!" Hermione shouted.

Hermione quickly made her way into the kitchen and almost instantly she found Fred in the pantry eating a packet of crackers "really?" she laughed lightly.

"I got hungry, you count slowly" Fred smirked.

"Do not!" Hermione protested "out of everything you picked the most obvious hiding place"

"I thought it would be that obvious you of all people wouldn't even consider it" Fred admitted kicking himself lightly, of course Hermione would check everything "I'll help you find the others"

Quickly they found George and made their way to different rooms to continue exploring; they searched Harry's room, Hermione's, Draco's and Ron's before giving up with the bedrooms and retreating to the library.

"Nobody will be in here" Fred smirked winking at George.

"Definitely not" George replied.

"Only Ginny would be stupid enough to hide in here" Fred replied.

"I am not stupid!" the hot-headed redhead shouted appearing from behind one of the large curtains and she looked even angrier as her older brothers high fived each other before running out the room.

"Let's find Harry, Draco and Ron" Hermione said fighting back a laugh as Ginny stomped past her.

Quickly the teens marched towards Severus' office still determined to find the others "do you recon Draco's really in the office?" Fred asked.

"Or Harry" Ginny added.

"Would they be allowed?" Hermione asked "Professor Snape is working"

Fred shrugged "Draco would use that to his advantage" he added and they all nodded.

"Ginny, you knock" George suggested.

"No, you do it!" she insisted.

"Hermione?" Fred suggested.

"Why can't you?!"

Suddenly the door opened and the potions master was standing looking more amused than irritated "is there a reason you have all gathered to bicker outside my office door?" he asked.

Hermione cleared her throat "Professor Snape, we have reason to believe you are hiding either Draco or Harry in your office"

"Do you now?" he smirked.

"Yes, we need to check it immediately" Hermione said looking up at the clearly entertained professor.

"I suppose I cannot deny you access for such a serious matter" Severus said sarcastically before returning to his desk "don't break anything or move any of the paperwork"

The students flooded into the room and instantly began looking behind the curtains, under the desk and behind the sofa before looking defeated.

"Nobody is in here" Fred stated simply.

"Somebody is!" Hermione insisted.

"We've looked everywhere" Ginny reminded her.

"Professor Snape wouldn't let us look if nobody was in here" Hermione argued.

"Perhaps Professor Snape decided it would be amusing?" Severus added and Hermione instantly rolled her eyes with a small groan.

Only then did Hermione's eyes lock with the book shelf and slowly she made her way over whilst getting on her hands and knees to inspect it further.

"Even Harry wouldn't fit under that tiny crack unless McGonagall has dropped by and transfigured him into an ant" George said sarcastically.

Hermione rolled her eyes getting to her feet "honestly, don't you pay any attention?"

"Explain" George said crossing his arms.

"The book shelf is about two centimetres off the floor" she said simply.

"So?" Fred asked.

"It's being held off the ground for a reason, look!" she said pointing at the tracks in the ground "it's a sliding door"

Severus smiled "incredibly well spotted Miss Granger, if we were at school you would receive points"

Hermione blushed at the praise and with a giant shove slid the door alone to reveal Ron standing on the other side "Ron?" she gasped shocked.

"No way" Fred said as him and George shared a laugh.

"Did I win?" Ron asked eagerly.

Ginny shook her head "we haven't found Draco or Harry"

"Let's keep looking" Hermione said and after a quick goodbye they left Severus smiling to himself knowing they'd never find his Slytherin.

Harry ran up to the third floor of the house, he could hear the others moving around and talking and he could tell a lot of them had been found already. Sighing heavily he was now paying no attention to where he was going but was more focused on finding a place that wasn't obvious.

The third floor was a level of the house he had never been to before since Severus didn't seem to use this floor at all. He instantly noticed the décor was a lot more old fashioned compared to the rest of the house and although it was obviously maintained by Dolly it didn't look homely compared to the rest of the house.

Curiously Harry made his way further down the corridor and something about the door on the far left had caught his attention, maybe it was because it was the last room in the hallway and therefor probably the last to be checked?

Gently Harry opened the door and he was surprised when it creaked, none of the other doors in the house creaked. Curiously Harry looked around the room, it was old and freezing cold compared to the rest of the house and the furniture was cracked.

Harry quickly noticed some old high school textbooks stacked neatly at an old desk and he smiled realising they belonged to Severus and that one day he had to learn potions just like he was.

Harry turned around and jumped at the figure in the doorway.

"What are you doing in here?" Severus said simply but his tone was low and cold, he felt the sick rising in his stomach at the sight of Harry in the room that held so many painful memories, the child he had vowed to protect was now in the room of his nightmares.

"H-hiding from Hermione" Harry stuttered but he instantly grew confused when Snape didn't enter the room but only continued to watch him from the doorway.

"Get out" Severus said simply.

"Why?" Harry asked pushily.

"Because I don't want you in here" Severus replied not taking his eyes off Harry.

"Has something happened?" Harry asked subconsciously stepping further into the room and further away from Snape.

"I said out!" Snape shouted causing Harry to jump and look around nervously before falling over a stool and landing on the bed with a hard thud and a gasp.

Snape watched wide eyed as his son fell onto the bed, _that bed_ and he knew instantly he had to get Harry out of the room and back to the safety of the rest of the house.

Before Harry had a moment to note what he had happened Snape was hovering over the top of him and pulling him to his feet and away from the bed.

"No!" Harry shouted in a complete panic before lashing out as Severus held his shoulders tightly in an attempt to re-steady the teen whilst removing him from the room.

With the word 'no' echoing in the air Severus dropped his hands to his side and his eyes met Harry's "did you think I would-"

Harry instantly froze at his father's tone as the room fell to silence, he could see how haunted and scared Snape was. Slowly shook his head "no, of course not" he said but Severus only looked down "I know I'm safe with you, dad"

The word 'dad' caused Severus' head to shoot up "Do you believe that?" he asked.

Harry didn't answer but threw his arms around his dads' neck, he didn't protest as Severus took that as an opportunity to pick the teen up and carry him completely out of the room before entering another room and sitting on the bed with Harry next to him.

"I'm sorry" Severus finally said breaking the silence.

"Was that the room he…?" Harry asked and Severus nodded "I'm sorry dad"

Severus sighed lightly "you have nothing to be sorry for, but I don't like the idea of you being on this floor never mind in that room"

Harry nodded "I promise I won't come up here again"

"I shouldn't have shouted at you" Severus said softly "I panicked at the idea of you being in that room because I dread to think of something like that happening to you, I wasn't trying to hurt you and I never would"

Harry nodded "I know you wouldn't, I just got scared because you moved so quickly"

Severus shuffled back and rested his back against the headboard "I need to learn how to control those emotions when it comes to you and Draco"

"It's still early days, dad" Harry reminded him crawling over to cuddle into his dads' chest.

"I would never hurt you though" Severus repeated himself.

Harry rolled his eyes "I know you wouldn't, not stop saying that because you're beginning to sound like a parrot" he said and Severus laughed lightly.

"Did you get hurt when you tripped?" Severus asked but Harry only shook his head and cuddled in.

Back downstairs Draco stomped into the living room "how did you find me before Harry?" he half shouted throwing his arms up in the air completely annoyed at being found.

"It's a house with tones of trap doors, of course we would look for them" Hermione argued back.

"You cheated!"

"Did not!"

"What's with all the shouting?" Molly asked entering the living room.

"Hermione cheated" Draco said simply.

"I swear, Draco!" Hermione half shouted surprised at herself.

Molly raised a brow "I think you were found fair and square" she smiled

"We found Harry" Fred said entering the room.

"Where is he?" Molly asked.

"Upstairs asleep with Professor Snape" Fred replied.

Molly rolled her eyes "if this is Severus trying to get out of setting up the BBQ it's not happening!" she half shouted before making her way back into the kitchen.

. . .

That night everybody gathered on the patio in front of the large fire pit. Ron, Hermione and Harry were all huddled in a corner under a blanket laughing at old memories while Draco was in a deep discussion with Molly about babies, she was surprised at Draco's curiosity but she was happy to share a mother's perspective.

Dumbledore was deep in discussion with Arthur and Remus about Ministry business as Severus and Sirius bickered over who was making the food.

"Stop it, Black!" Severus hissed at Sirius charmed the spatula to go floppy "why don't you go entertain your wolf friend"

Sirius smirked "I find ministry discussions boring and I am glad I have you here to save me from such a discussion"

Severus glared "put that fork down" he threatened as Sirius turned the sausages.

"I'm helping!"

"You're ruining my system"

"You don't need a 'system' to turn sausages!"

Dumbledore rolled his eyes "share, boys" he called out simply gaining himself a glare from both of them.

"It's okay, Albus" Sirius said retreating to the sofa "I'll leave him to overcook the sausages"

"Sirius" Dumbledore warned.

"I'll overcook you in a minute"

"Severus!" Dumbledore sighed completely exasperated.

But Severus was instantly distracted when he noticed Harry was giggling, as much as he disliked that the pair of them bickered the bickering was growing less malicious and more childish and he knew they wouldn't actually hurt the other.

Harry quickly moved over to sit next to his godfather and Sirius was soon telling him a story of the time him and Remus went on a night out and it got messy, Harry laughed along with the story as he rested his head on Sirius' shoulder.

Quickly Severus served the food and Sirius couldn't bring himself to admit the Slytherin could BBQ better than he could.

"What's the plan for the rest of summer then?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

"We're beginning work on the burrow tomorrow, but it's going to take at least another week to restore" Arthur said sipping his tea.

"What needs to be done?" Dumbledore asked.

"We pretty much need to rebuild and reward the entire house" Severus said simply.

"Well if need be the students can come to Hogwarts while you work" Dumbledore suggested.

"That would be helpful" Severus smiled, he wasn't keen on leaving them running riot for eight hours a day while they all worked.

Quickly the conversation descended into the magical world and magical creatures and within the hour Draco had completely passed out on Severus who was on his third glass of wine. Harry was also asleep next to Sirius and Ginny didn't seem too far off falling asleep either. Ron and Hermione quickly decided it was getting cold and they were ready for bed and quickly the twins followed having grown bored of the adult conversations.

"He's completely passed out" Arthur said smiling over at Harry.

Dumbledore noticed the warm, yet sad, smile that developed on Severus' face as he looked over at Harry and he could tell something had happened.

. . .

Later that night once everybody had gone to bed, except for Dumbledore and Arthur who were still debating muggle devices, Severus found himself sitting awake unable to stop himself reflecting on the day's events. He had been in the room his father had assaulted him with his son and he couldn't help but feel completely uncomfortable.

"That's me heading off, my boy" Dumbledore said appearing in the doorway.

"Okay" Severus said simply.

Dumbledore frowned "what's the matter?" he asked sitting on the bed next to Severus.

"I found Harry in my childhood bedroom today and I almost flipped out" Severus sighed "I tried to drag him out the room and for a second I thought he thought…"

"And did he?" Dumbledore asked understanding the unspoken words.

Severus shook his head "I scared him because I was out of character, but even just being in there with him…"

"Why does that upset you?" Dumbledore asked willing the man to open up.

"I know it makes no sense but I've barely been back in there and it's all so raw and just the idea of now being the father and seeing my son in there. When he noticed me in the doorway his eyes reminded me of my own when I saw my father"

"You probably startled him if he didn't know you were there" Dumbledore reassured him "Harry understands"

Severus sighed "I need to get over that room, I need to put it behind me"

"Would going back in help?" Dumbledore asked.

"It's too scary" Severus said dropping his head into his hands.

"I'll be there with you" Albus reassured him.

"I don't want to"

"That's okay, you don't have to do anything you don't want to do" Albus said offering the younger wizard a light smile "but I think in time you should"

"Maybe another day" Severus admitted "just not tonight"

Dumbledore nodded "that's understandable, but I'm sure we'll work through it"

Severus nodded more to himself, not only did he know he had to work through it but he _wanted_ to; he wanted to do it for the boys, for Dumbledore, his mother and most importantly for himself. "We will" he whispered with a weak smile.

 **Okaaaaay so I think this chapter is slightly more uplifting! It's a completely new chapter so hopefully it's a good one!**

 **Again, thank you for all the reviews that were left on the last chapter, it was a tough chapter to write and edit so I'm glad people were moved by it!**

 **I'm not entirely sure when I'll be able to write the next chapter as I don't know how much I want to write fresh and how much I want to take from the original files. I'm also going on holiday so I don't think I'll have another chapter out for the next 2-3 weeks but I will be back before you know it : )**

 **Have a great day and review if you can!**


	15. Chapter 15 - Breaking and Building

The next again day work began at The Burrow; Molly, Arthur, Sirius, Remus, Severus and Dumbledore all apparated first thing to begin work as soon as possible.

"I don't even know where to begin" Arthur sighed at the sight of his fallen home, it was now a pile of rubble and wood.

Molly sighed heavily "my poor home" she said more to herself as she moved closer.

"I think the best thing to do is clear all the rubble, save what we can and start the rest from scratch" Severus suggested rolling up his sleeves, he had surprisingly taken Dumbledore's suggestion to wear old, comfortable clothes to work in and had settled for washed out black jeans and a long sleeved black t-shirt.

Molly nodded lightly, they had been back and had gathered up as many family photos and personal belongings as they could but even with the majority of their belongings safe at Snape Manor she still felt attached to the walls that had housed her children since they were born.

"We can probably save a lot of the wood" Severus said hopefully.

"I think a lot of it is passed repair" Arthur admitted, it didn't help a lot of the wood had been waring away before the death eaters attack.

Suddenly Severus had an idea "why don't we use the new bricks and wood for the house and build a large shed with the old wood that can be used as a family space or something similar?" he suggested "I can create a potion to strengthen it"

"What a lovely idea, Severus" Molly smiled.

"Let's get started" Sirius said.

After devising a plan on who would do what everybody began working on the house; Remus and Sirius were in charge of sorting the bricks and wood into piles, Molly continued to look for a few items that were still missing, Severus was helping Arthur magically repair what they could and Dumbledore had started to put the wards back up.

"Remember I want it to look exactly as it did before" Molly reminded Arthur as he began levitating wooden panels back into place.

"Yes, dear" Arthur mumbled almost automatically as Molly scurried back over to the last few pieces of rubble.

"I wonder what the kids are doing" Remus said as he vanished more broken bricks.

"Hopefully not causing Hagrid too much trouble" Molly said with a small smile.

"Not with Minerva about" Severus added happy the witch was there to keep them in check.

"Oh no" Remus sighed.

"What is it?" Sirius asked curiously.

"I've left my coat and I have some of the new bricks shrunk in the pockets" Remus sighed "I'll be back"

Molly nodded and continued to scan for any last missing items when suddenly her eyes fixed on something small and blue, curiously she picked up the small blanket to examine it further. "Arthur, I don't recognise this" she said passing the blanket over to him.

Arthur examined the blanket further, it was dirty from being left behind but it had small elephants stitched into it and was still incredibly soft. "Maybe it was Bill or Charlies?" he suggested completely bewildered.

Molly shook her head "Bill's was green and Charlie took his to Romania"

"It's definitely not one of the others" Arthur said frowning lightly.

Sirius gasped slightly at the sight of the old blanket and he quickly put down the piece of wood he had been carrying "can I see it?" he asked holding out his hand.

Without thinking much of it Arthur passed the blanket to Sirius who examined it carefully, slowly he ran his fingers over the little elephants and sighed lightly to himself.

"Do you recognise it, Sirius?" Dumbledore asked curiously.

Sirius nodded but didn't speak, he didn't only recognise this blanket, he knew it well. Suddenly his mind turned to his first ever day at Hogwarts, after gratefully being put in Gryffindor they settled into their dorms when he noticed the boy with glasses and untidy hair stuffing something blue under his pillow, he didn't think much of it.

Then he remembered his second year best friend feeling homesick after a bad week at school and holding the blanket tightly as they sat in their room all alone. He remembered comforting his friend as he missed his parents.

He remembered his best friend graduating high school and joking he would still have that blanket when he was forty not knowing he wouldn't see forty.

"Sirius?" Dumbledore asked softly placing a hand on the younger man's shoulder.

Sirius didn't reply, he remembered the day his best friends' son was born and he inhaled sharply at the memory of the new born baby wrapped up in the blue blanket.

" _I never thought you'd give that old thing up"_

" _Anything for Harry"_

" _But how will you live?"_

" _Oh shut up, Padfoot"_

"It was James'" Sirius finally said but his voice was barely a whisper "he passed it onto Harry when he was born"

There was a moment of silence as nobody really knew what to say. Sirius continued to stare at the blanket, he wasn't sure what it was about this item that brought back so many memories, perhaps it was its' innocence? Perhaps it was because it had been there through everything?

Sirius glanced around at the people surrounding him and suddenly he had never felt so alone "I'm going for a walk" he said simply.

"Should someone go after him?" Molly asked.

"I don't know if there's anything we can say or do" Arthur replied.

"I'll get Remus" Molly replied before apparating.

Sirius walked until he found a fallen tree and tiredly he sat on it still staring at the blanket, unable to decide whether he should be angry, sad or uplifted he settled for feeling numb as the memories of his childhood washed over him with force.

" _Blood traitor"_

" _Disappointment"_

" _No son of mines"_

Sirius sighed heavily.

" _Mum said you can come live with us, like real brothers"_

" _I don't have a family anymore"_

" _I'm your family"_

"Black?" a voice asked pulling Sirius from his thoughts, he blinked and looked up furiously recognising the voice that had disrupted him.

"Not now, Snape" Sirius warned as his eyes met Snape's. Sirius almost wanted to lash out at how quietly composed Severus was as he stared down at him blankly.

"I'm not here to argue" Severus said simply.

"What then?" Sirius demanded "were you looking for another pleasant reminder James Potter is dead?" he hissed waving the blanket.

Severus frowned at the other wizards words but didn't argue "I said I'm not here to argue" he reminded Sirius.

"What do you want then?" Sirius half shouted.

Severus paused for a moment not entirely sure what it was that made his follow Sirius when everybody stood unsure of what to do "I just wanted to check you were okay" he said awkwardly, _did he even care?_

Sirius blinked as he watched his ex-classmate curiously "I'm fine" he muttered.

Severus stared blankly at Sirius unsure of why he wanted to help, maybe it was because he understood? "We both lost our best friends that night" Severus reminded him "I know how not fine that makes you"

Sirius didn't reply, what was he supposed to say to that? He could argue he had it much worse than Severus did but what was the point? It was true they had both lost the person they loved most.

Severus quickly realised Sirius wasn't going to reply so he sat down silently on the rock carefully keeping his distance.

"I've had time to move on; I've had the opportunity to build a life without Lily. Whereas you've spent twelve years isolated from the rest of the world, it would have made no difference if James Potter was alive or dead in Azkaban but now it matters because you now have your life back and for the first time James Potter isn't here to live it with, for you it will be as raw as if it only happened yesterday"

"Why are you telling me this?" Sirius muttered angrily.

"Because it's true, we've all had over a decade to adapt and you've only had a matter of months" Severus said.

"I still missed him every day" Sirius admitted "I thought of him and Lily and what Harry had lost"

"I can't lie and say I haven't had similar thoughts" Severus admitted.

"Now we can only accept the past for what it was and live our lives for what they are" Sirius said clearing his throat.

"They would want that" Severus admitted.

"They would" Sirius agreed.

"I'm sorry" Severus said awkwardly "although James Potter meant nothing to me, I'm sorry you lost your best friend that night"

"I'm sorry you lost yours" Sirius said finally meeting the cold eyes that were watching his.

"Sirius?" Remus asked making his way over from the same direction Severus had "what's the matter?"

Sirius held up the blanket "Molly found this"

"James' blanket" Remus smiled lightly "how did it get here?"

Sirius shrugged "I suppose we'll find out when we give it back to Harry"

"I'll leave you both to it" Severus said awkwardly getting back to his feet, he could handle a deep conversation with one marauder but two was pushing it.

"Thanks…Severus" Sirius said carefully as he eyed the other wizard carefully.

Severus gave a brief nod before walking quickly back towards the house needing to shake off the conversation.

. . .

Later that night everybody returned to Snape Manor feeling rather accomplished with their work, in one day they had managed to clear everything that couldn't be fixed and had made a good start on repairing all the damage that had been done.

At just after ten everybody made their way to bed, deciding an early start would be a good idea for continuing work tomorrow. The students had told stories of their day and how they'd effectively created an obstacle course and had raced their brooms most of the day, except for Hermione who had decided to stay firmly on the ground and read.

Severus sat in his study still unsure what to make of the day's events, only a few months ago he would have found pleasure in seeing his former bully hurting but today he only wanted to help.

"Dad" Harry said appearing in the doorway.

Severus looked up noticing Harry looked slightly tired and upset "what's the matter?" he asked softly gesturing Harry to the sofa.

"I can't sleep" Harry sighed "I had another nightmare"

Severus sighed lightly; although Harry had less nightmares and they were less violent they were still tough "do you want to talk about it?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded "I had a dream that Voldemort attacked Privet Drive, but instead of the Dursley's it was us living there and he killed you and kidnapped Draco"

"That sounds scary" Severus said putting an arm around Harry.

"He didn't kill me though, he just locked me in the cupboard" Harry frowned "I don't get why he didn't kill me"

Severus looked up for a moment in thought frowning slightly as he analysed the nightmare "you have to remember it was only a dream" he said simply and Harry nodded lightly "and if I'm right in my thinking you don't fear Voldemort killing you, do you?" he asked.

"Not really" Harry shrugged "I guess I'm just used to that"

Severus nodded "But you are scared of him killing the ones you love, which is perfectly understandable" he explained "in your dream he took away your loved ones and left you because that's truly what you're scared of"

Harry subconsciously hugged Severus tighter, the idea of him not being there scared him the most "but you're not going anywhere" Harry added.

"Of course I'm not and we're also not at Privet Drive" Severus reminded him.

"Definitely not" Harry smiled.

"Remember it's okay to feel scared and I'm always here to listen" Severus reminded Harry who nodded lightly and yawned "do you want to go back to bed?" he asked.

Harry nodded lightly "maybe you could come and we can read for a while?" Harry suggested still not wanting Severus to be too far away.

Quietly they both settled in Harry's room; Harry quickly cuddled up under the blankets as Severus rested against the headboard with the chosen book in his hand. After an hour of taking turns to read Severus took over once more as Harry closed his eyes and fell asleep "I love you, Dad" he muttered under his breath.

"I love you too" Severus said smiling down at the young Gryffindor who sighed contently.

. . .

The next day work resumed as normal at The Burrow but after realising how ahead of schedule they were everybody returned to the house by three and relaxed for the rest of the day. After being forced to spend the morning studying with Professor McGonagall the students took to the woods to entertain themselves.

"I still think studying in the summer should be illegal" Ron insisted as he kicked a small bush "will we ever get a break?"

Hermione rolled her eyes "it's important to retain the information!"

Ron snorted "half the stuff I can't remember and the other half I don't want to"

"Honestly, Ron!" Hermione shouted but they were interrupted by a noise from the trees.

"What was that?" Draco asked cautiously.

Fred shrugged "probably just a rabbit but stay back just in case"

"We should check it out" Harry suggested.

"I'm not sure" Fred began to argue.

"Look!" Harry said excitedly as a dog bounded out from behind the trees.

The dog barked happily and after almost knocking Ron over it curiously made its' way over to Draco and began nudging his hand.

"A dog?" Draco asked shocked as he touched the dog gently "it smells" he said screwing up his face.

"I wonder where he came from" Fred said eying the dog curiously.

"It's all muddy and dirty so it's definitely a stray" Harry said petting the dog lightly.

"It really does stink" Ron said screwing up his nose at the smell.

"Yeah it doesn't have a collar" Draco said and they all shrugged lost for what to do with it.

"I guess it's probably used to living in the wild" Ron said losing interest in the dog.

Suddenly Harry's face broke into a large grin "Let's keep it" he said.

"Snape is never going to allow that" Fred said wide eyed and Harry sighed, his dad definitely wouldn't allow the dog in the house, especially with how dirty it was.

"What will we do?" Hermione asked "we don't want to get in trouble"

"I have a plan" Harry said and they all turned and looked at him intently "we need to get the dog into the house to clean him up before we show him to Severus, he might be more convinced if he doesn't stink" he said and they nodded.

"We're going to have to distract him though, the second he sees you he's going to start fussing" Draco said.

Harry sighed and nodded, Draco was right.

"Ron you distract him and we'll sneak the dog in the back door" Draco said and Ron's eyes widened.

"What am I meant to do?" Ron asked.

"Annoy him, you're good at that" George smirked causing Fred to laugh lightly.

"Okay I have a plan" Ron said and they all made their way back towards the house.

The twins made their way back in through the front door and into the kitchen where they stayed to distract Mrs Weasle, luckily it was easy enough as she wanted help with preparing food the muggle way.

"You're both helping cook?" Hermione asked confused sticking her head through the doorway, after deciding she wasn't helping Ron or taking part in their mission she had returned to the house alone.

"We are talented cooks I'll have you know" Fred insisted waving a wooden spoon at her.

"I doubt it" she said simply "I'll be in the library with Ginny if Ron asks" she said.

"Ooooo if Ron asks" they both said in sync and she scowled before leaving.

"Now boys, don't annoy her" Mrs Weasley warned them.

"At least the girls are out the way" Fred whispered to George who nodded.

. . .

Ron, Draco and Harry stood behind the trees watching Snape as he stood at the front of the house, he was clearly listening for them coming home.

"Okay Draco and I will follow the trees around the back to get in, keep him round the front of the house and keep him outside" Harry ordered and Ron nodded nervously, he was still a little bit scared of Snape, especially when they were deliberately causing trouble. He watched as Harry and Draco crept away and he crept in the opposite direction so he could jump out on Snape from the side of the house.

"Professor Snape!" Ron shouted running towards Snape, Severus instantly turned, his eyes filled with worry.

"What's happened? Where is Harry?" Severus asked and Ron scowled and shook his head.

"No…it's a…a SPIDER!" Ron shouted and Severus instantly rolled his eyes. "You have to come and see it, it's huge!" he said gesturing with his fingers how big it was before tugging on the professors robes but Snape didn't budge.

"I've seen plenty big spiders, Weasley" he said sternly turning to go back into the house.

"No stop!" Ron said running his fingers through his hair lost for what to do "Please, Professor Snape, I'm really scared of them and I just want you to get rid of it like you did last time" he said trying to pull off the puppy dog eyes and Severus surprisingly took the bait.

"Where is it?" Severus asked and Ron's eyes narrowed . _Where was it?_

"It's…in a plant pot" he said and Severus sighed.

"If it's outside I'm not removing it" Severus replied.

"Why not?" Ron demanded.

"Well where am I meant to move it to?" Severus asked and Ron shrugged.

"Sir just come on!" Ron shouted before running but he wasn't watching where he was going and tripped over a plant pot smashing it. "Ow!" he cried out.

"Are you okay?" Severus asked kneeling down next to him; his face was filled with concern. "Your hand is cut let me see" he said and Ron flinched at the giant piece of thick glass in his hand and put it out of Snape's reach "Weasley, give me your hand" he said sternly.

"That's a sentence I never thought I'd hear you say" Ron said sarcastically and Severus rolled his eyes. Ron held out his hand that was now coated with a layer of blood "Sir…" Ron said trying to look at the Professor but Snape had two heads and was swaying.

"What is it, Ron?" Severus asked concerned.

"I'm bad with blood" Ron said and Severus sighed helping him to his feet to guide him towards the house but Ron staggered like a drunken man.

"Concentrate on me, you're okay" Severus said reassuringly as Ron was turning a funny green colour "I'll heal it as soon as we get inside" he said leading Ron through the kitchen and into the small utility and wash room that came off the side of the large kitchen.

"What's happened?" Molly asked sticking her head through into the open utility area, she didn't seem too concerned because with so many children, especially boys this was normally.

"I broke a plant pot, I'm sorry sir" Ron said.

"I'm not bothered about the plant pot, I'm more worried about your hand" Severus said positioning Ron's hand over the sink to stop the blood for getting everywhere.

Severus quickly pulled out a first aid kit from the top shelf and opened it as Ron watching curiously.

"Are you going to use magic, Sir?" Ron asked nervously.

"I need to clean and stitch is but with magic it will be fully healed by this evening" Severus explained and Ron nodded, he felt sick to his stomach at the idea of stitches. "Molly you might want to come and sit with him" he shouted..

"Is it that bad?" Molly asked and Severus nodded, the glass was properly embedded.

"Drink this" Severus said passing Ron a potion from one of the shelves.

"What is it?" Molly asked concerned.

"Basically magical morphine" Severus said simply as Rod drank the potion and slumped against the wall with his hand still in the sink. Severus used pliers to gently remove the large piece of glass before cleaning out the cut with a disinfectant to stop it from getting infected.

"Mum" Ron whimpered as it stung, he felt like his entire hand was on fire it stung so fiercely.

"It's okay hang in there, Ron" Severus said sternly, he was concentrating on stitching his hand back together. The second he finished Ron sighed in relief and began to get off the counter but the second his legs hit the floor the turned to jelly. "I've got you" Severus said picking up the redhead who instantly glared at him.

"Put me down" Ron ordered.

"Ron, behave!" Molly said. But before Ron had a chance to protest again he passed out in Severus arms, he quickly moved Ron into the living room so he was nearby in case he needed him. Severus sighed; stitching up the spider-prone Weasley was not how he wanted to spend his afternoon.

. . .

Meanwhile Harry and Draco had managed to sneak the dirty dog in the back of the house and were nearing Harry's bedroom, Fred went out into the hallway to stand guard in case Severus tried to go upstairs since Ron was in no state to stall, he sat on the window ledge pretending to read.

"Move faster!" Harry whispered to Draco who was dramatically throwing his arms around.

"I'm trying but he stinks" Draco scoffed pushing the dog away "this is a stupid idea we're going to end up in trouble" Draco huffed and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Stop moaning and hurry up" Harry said "when have you ever bothered about being in trouble?" he asked and Draco glared at him, Harry was right and he didn't have a comeback.

The dog noticed Hedwig as Harry opened the bedroom door and let out a massive bark. Hedwig screeched and scarpered out the open window as Harry and Draco quickly shut the door.

"Did they hear?" Harry asked and Draco shrugged, they both put their ear to the door to listen.

"What was that?" Molly asked stepping away from the oven and George shrugged.

"It sounded like a dog" Severus replied, his voice full of concern and he strode towards the hallway.

"It was just me!" Fred said putting the book down "woof!" he said trying to hide how ridiculous he felt.

"Why are you making animal noises, Weasley?" Severus asked raising a brow.

"I have absolutely no idea" Fred smiled widely.

First Ron and the spider and now this, Severus rolled his eyes "Molly your children are going insane" he stated simply as he entered the kitchen again and she nodded in agreement praying they weren't up to something.

. . .

Back in the bedroom Draco and Harry turned away from the door when they realised they were in the clear. Harry turned to see the giant muddy dog sprawled out on his bed, his sheets were covered in thick mud and his eyes widened, _how was he going to hide that when they couldn't do magic?_

"Get off!" Harry said ordering the dog off the bed and it listened instantly and then happily followed him into the bathroom. Harry turned on the shower and changed the water so it was lukewarm and then with a lot of force they both managed to push the dog into the shower.

Draco took the showerhead and began washing the dog down but seemed to be getting more water on Harry, eventually all the mud started running into the drain "he's actually quite white" Draco said shocked and Harry laughed lightly.

After about 10 minutes the dog was clean and Harry wrapped him in a towel before guiding him out of the shower, both boys were soaked from head to toe and they were again sprayed with water as the dog shook all the water from its back.

"Ew!" Draco screamed out and Harry quickly shushed him.

Once the dog was dry they guided him back into the bedroom, his wet paw prints leaving marks on the carpet, luckily it was just water so it wouldn't mark but the bed was a different story. "What are we going to do?" Draco asked as they stared at the bed.

There was a knock on the door and they both gasped as the dog barked "No shh!" Draco hissed before pushing him in the cupboard.

"Boys?" Severus asked cautiously entering the room, they both stood in front of the bed to block the mess as much as they could but Severus wasn't so foolish "what's going on?" he asked, his voice was stern and it sent shivers down Harry's spine, he looked at Draco to speak for them but Draco just shrugged. "Okay, well let's try another question, what happened to your bed?" he asked Harry and Harry looked down, he was starting to feel sick with anxiety about the idea of being in trouble.

"It was Hedwig" Draco said when he realised Harry wasn't going to speak up "she just went crazy" he said widening his eyes with fake shock.

Severus had to fight every urge to laugh; only his Slytherin godson would blame an owl. "And does Hedwig have four paws?" he asks gesturing sternly to the paw prints "Harry?" he asked but Harry looked down into his hands with tears running down his cheeks. "What is it?" he asked noticing Harry's tears and Harry shrugged.

"We were just trying to give him a bath so you'd like him more" Harry sniffled. Suddenly he felt stupid for crying, Severus wasn't shouting and he didn't even seem angry about the mess. He opened the cupboard door and the dog came running out and stood by Draco's side. "We just wanted to clean him first because we knew you would say no if he was dirty, but then he jumped on the bed" He gasped gesturing towards the bed.

"We thought if he was clean you would say yes" Draco added.

"Yes to what?" Severus asked raising a brow.

"Keeping him, he doesn't have a home because he's a stray" Draco explained.

"We are not getting a dog" Severus said sternly and Harry hung his head sadly.

"Why not?" Draco demanded.

"Where is he meant to go during term times?" Severus asked.

"Hagrid is always talking about getting Fang a friend" Harry offered as a suggestion looking up to meet his father's stare and Severus sighed.

"Strip the bed and put new sheets on it" Severus ordered and they both looked at him confused, they were completely expecting him to fix it with magic. "What?" he asked before closing the door and leaving the room, he really had to think about the dog.

"This is your fault" Draco said pointing at the dog before taking the cases off the pillows, within a few minutes they had striped the entire bed and put new bedsheets on it, luckily the mud hadn't managed to stain anything beneath the bedsheets.

Harry collapsed on the bed suddenly realising how exhausted he was.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked and Harry nodded.

"I'm just really tired" Harry yawned and Draco agreed lying down beside him, the dog quickly jumped into the bed and lay in the middle of them, Harry petted its' head gently as his eyes began to close and Draco quickly fell asleep and reshuffled almost instantly so he was cuddled into the now clean animal.

Half an hour later Severus entered the room again, _the dog was going to the pound and that was the end of it._ But as he opened the door his heart melted, the boys had changed the bedsheets like they were told and they'd passed out with the dog in the middle of them. Severus coughed and they both woke up looking slightly embarrassed.

Severus noticed Draco was watching the dog curiously before and Severus wondered if Draco had ever properly been around a dog before. _Maybe a dog was exactly what they needed? It could protect them and provide comfort._

"He will need walked twice a day" Severus blurted out before he could stop himself, they both nodded silently "and he will need fed twice a day and a constant supply of fresh water" he said sternly and they both continued to nod "and he would need attention, played with and he would need love" he said "are you capable of that between the both of you? Because the Weasley's go home soon and they won't be here to help" he said.

"We can manage" Harry finally said.

"If you can manage then he can stay" Severus said, a little voice in his head told him he would regret this but he had always wanted a dog growing up so he wasn't going to deny it to them. He quickly ran a spell over the dog to make sure it wasn't under some kind of dark magic and to make sure it was a perfectly normal dog. Both boys watched waiting for Severus to reveal if the dog was normal "well you better pick a name for him" Severus finally said and they both jumped up from the bed and hugged him tightly.

"I want to call him Cody" Harry said and Draco nodded.

"Well keep Cody out of trouble and off the furniture" Severus smiled before leaving the room. Both boys gave each other a hi5 and Harry petted the dog happily.

. . .

That night everyone was in bed by 11, Severus stuck his head into Harry's room and he was fast asleep with the dog at the foot of his bed, he rolled his eyes in defeat, he didn't want to risk waking Harry by moving it so he left the door slightly open and made his way further down the hallway. Draco was also fast asleep in his own bed and Severus smiled, Draco had seemed a lot happier the past few days.

Severus lay in bed unable to sleep, his thoughts kept going back to his night terror, luckily nobody was treating him any differently but he still couldn't risk falling asleep and having it happen again. He turned onto his side and subconsciously picked at the skin around his fingernails.

His mind turned to his mother, what he would give to speak to her one final time, he hadn't dreamed of her once since she passed and he had come to terms with the fact it was because she was ashamed of him, because he was dirty.

He got out of bed and went into the bathroom and turned the shower on careful to cast a silencing spell on the room. He quickly undressed and sat on the shower floor let the hot water scold his skin, he scrubbed his arms till the skin was red and dry and little spots of blood began to rise to the surface.

Silently he rested his head against the glass and closed his eyes with the sound of the water falling being his only grasp on reality. His chest tightened at the thought of how far he still had to go, how much he still had to recover from and he began to wonder if he'd even recovered from any of it at all.

After what seemed like an eternity he got out shower and put on a pair PJ bottoms and walked back into the bedroom, he jumped and stepped back when he saw Albus sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Severus" Albus said greeting the man with a soft smile.

"What are you doing, Albus?" Severus asked eying the man with concern.

"I'm making sure you're okay" Albus replied patting the bed for Severus to come and sit next to him. "Thoughts of your dad keeping you up again?" he asked and Severus sighed and sat beside him, there was no point in trying to hide it.

"During the day I'm okay, my mind is busy and it's none stop with so many people here" Severus said waving his haand slightly overwhelmed.

"I can imagine" Dumbledore said reassuringly.

"But at night when it's dark and I'm alone he comes back" Severus said quietly. "I don't know how to make him go away, I don't remember how I did it last time" he said shaking his head in defeat and hugging himself tightly.

"You didn't do it overnight, it took time and a lot of patience" Dumbledore told him "and luckily for us we have time and patience so you'll be fine" he said smiling and to his surprise Severus returned his smile. Dumbledore reached into the drawer and pulled out a moisturiser "hold out your arms" he ordered and Severus obeyed without thought.

Gently Albus rubbed the moisturiser in "don't you ever do this again" he said sternly "if you get yourself into this kind of state you come and get me" he finished and Severus felt the tears filling in the corners of his eyes, he wasn't even that sad he was just frustrated that he couldn't burry the memories and he was tired.

"I'm sorry" Severus finally whispered.

"You don't need to be sorry, just let me look after you" Albus said softly.

"Every time I close my eyes I just picture the night he…he…"

Albus moved closer and took his hand half expecting to be knocked away, but he was surprised when Severus didn't move "say the word, Severus, it will help"

Severus shook his head, he couldn't bring himself to hear the word leave his own mouth.

Albus nodded "nothing bad is going to happen but you need to start admitting it to yourself" he pleaded meeting his stare; Severus' eyes were filled with fear.

"He raped me, Albus" he whispered so quietly Dumbledore was barely able to make out half the sentence but he nodded showing he understood "and now every time I close my eyes it happens again" he said fighting back the urge to cry.

Dumbledore put his arm around Severus and pulled him closer.

"Stop it, I'm dirty" Severus protested but that only made Dumbledore hug him tighter.

"To me you are the purest person that's ever walked the planet and there's not a spec of dirt on you" he soothed.

"I don't get what I did so wrong" Severus choked.

"You didn't do anything wrong" Dumbledore reassured him.

"Between my Dad and the bullies I must have done something, you don't hate people like that for no reason" Severus sighed.

"No, _good_ people don't hate people like that for no reason and you're just very unlucky you've met a lot of bad people"

The door slowly opened and Cody walked in, Dumbledore's eyes instantly widened.

"Get out, dog" Severus ordered but the dog came in and sat on the bed beside them resting his head on Severus shoulder.

"When did you get a dog?" Dumbledore asked surprised.

"Today apparently" he said pushing the dog off the bed stubbornly and Dumbledore laughed, Harry and Draco really had broken down Severus' walls.

"I'll be back in a minute, get into bed" Dumbledore said leaving the bedroom and Severus sat confused.

After a moment of staring into space Severus finally got into bed realising how tired he was when he didn't even argue with Dumbledore for telling him what to do, as his body sunk willingly into the bed he sighed with exhaustion.

Dumbledore appeared a few seconds later with two mugs of hot chocolate.

"Have you put dreamless sleep in it?" Severus asked suspiciously and Dumbledore chuckled.

"I wouldn't ever try and trick you when it comes to potions, but I did put one really special ingredient in it" he said and Severus looked at him questioningly "marshmallows" he finally said smiling and Severus rolled his eyes before gently sipping the hot drink, he had to admit it was good.

"Harry looks a lot better" Dumbledore said hoping to lift Severus' mood.

"Yeah, he did sneak a dog into the house earlier" Severus scoffed before putting the mug down on the table and turning to face Albus who was sitting in a chair beside the bed. "I really don't want to be treated like I'm a piece of glass about to break"

"Severus, the only person treating you differently is yourself, you need to relax" Albus ordered and he nodded getting lost in thought.

"Albus…did you ever think of having kids?" Severus asked curiously, Albus would have made an amazing father.

"Yes and no, my lifestyle has never allowed me to have any of my own biologically but I love having a school full of kids"

"Do you ever get lonely?" he asked, his dark eyes meeting the older, wise eyes.

"I have you, you are very much my child, Severus" he said offering the man a gentle smile and Severus heart felt full but he frowned "what is it?" Dumbledore asked hoping he hadn't been too pushy.

"It's been a weird summer, Albus" Severus said resting his hands behind his head totally relaxing into the conversation. "I've gone from being alone to having 2 kids and a house full of gingers" he said and Albus laughed "but I wouldn't change it for the world"

Albus smiled, Severus tone wasn't harsh or snappy, for once his voice sounded young and innocent and Dumbledore couldn't help but keep the conversation going, it was rare when the walls came down and Severus allowed a conversation deeper than potion ingredients.

"Even the Weasley's?" Dumbledore asked raising a brow.

"It's almost like having nieces and nephews" Severus said "and I get alone with Arthur and Molly"

"It was nice you let them stay" Albus praised him gently. "I always knew you would get along with them, especially Molly because you're both stubborn" he said smiling and Severus nodded in agreement. "Harry's come on a lot this summer, he gets more confident every time I see him" he continued and Severus nodded, it was true Harry wasn't the same boy that he found earlier in the summer. "That boy would be lost without you, Severus" Dumbledore said, he smiled a Severus nodded into the pillow and yawned.

Eventually Severus fell into a deep sleep and once Albus was sure he wouldn't wake again he took the mugs to the kitchen and made his way home. The second Albus left Severus started to stir and scratch at the scars on his chest but he calmed almost instantly when Cody moved closer to him and rested his head on his chest.

 **Oooookay, so I'm back and I finally managed to upload another chapter, finding the time to write has been a mission in itself!**

 **This chapter is dedicated to Mandancie since it's her birthday today, I hope I gave you enough Albus/Severus at the end as a gift from me!**

 **The last few chapters have been quite relaxed but the next few chapters are due to take a more drastic turn (I think) so I'm currently working out what is going to work best and whether it's time for summer to end or to have a few more chapters at home.**


	16. Chapter 16 - A New War

Snape Manor grew peaceful into the early hours of the morning, everyone was fast asleep and the only noise that could be heard throughout the entire house was the rain lightly hitting the windows.

Harry lay fast asleep; dreaming of Hogwarts completely unaware Cody had left the room and had remained with Severus.

Cody lay fast asleep against Severus side snoring lightly with the wizards arm draped over him but suddenly the dog woke with a start. Slowly Cody began to rise and without waking Severus he jumped off the bed and made his way to the bedroom door where he stood listening carefully for a few minutes.

With a small bark Cody turned around and made his way back to the bed wagging his tail lightly, he tilted his head to the side expecting Severus to wake but the wizard only frowned and turned to face the other direction. Cody whined lightly and made his way around to the side of the room Severus was now facing before barking once more.

Slowly Severus began to open his eyes and sleepily he blinked down at the door who was still whining "go to sleep, dog" he said simply before closing his eyes once more.

Cody barked again but this time he jumped onto the bed causing Severus to cry out as the dog landed on his body.

"Okay, I'll let you outside" Severus grumbled sitting up tiredly as he pushed the dog off.

After throwing on his house coat Severus left his bedroom with the dog bounding excitedly at his side, he glared down at the animal wondering how anything could have that much energy in the middle of the night "shut up" he hissed as the dog barked again, the last thing he needed was the Weasley twins detecting disruption and deciding to join in.

Cody suddenly stopped at the top of the stairs and watched Severus curiously as the wizard made his way downstairs towards the front of the house.

Severus frowned up at the dog "If you want outside then you have to come down" he said sharply as he pointed at the front door.

Cody barked again and looked back down the hallway towards the bedrooms.

"I don't know what you want from me, dog" Severus sighed as he walked past the dog to head back to bed, he was tired and at three in the morning he wasn't playing guessing games with a dog.

Severus stopped outside his bedroom door as the dog ran past him now whining more frantically before stopping outside Draco's door.

"Be quiet or you'll wake him" Severus warned but the dog only began to bark louder before trying to force the door open.

Severus watched the dog curiously, he had only had a few real encounters with dogs; the first was when his neighbours' terrier bit his leg and the second was when Hagrid's dog, Fang, had broken into the potions class as smashed a tone of vials, so it was safe to say _Severus didn't like dogs._ But looking at this dog now he could tell it was something more than an irritating canine characteristic, something was wrong.

Severus pushed the door open and he gasped at the sight of Draco thrashing in his bed, clearly lost in a nightmare as traumatic as Harry's.

"Draco" Severus called out softly but the teen only continued to thrash. Severus frowned when he noticed the boys mouth was moving but no sound was coming out, quickly he lifted the silencing charm from Draco and casted it over them both.

Severus flinched at the boys' crying and quickly sat down on the bed "you have to wake up, Draco" he said shaking the teen softly.

"No!" Draco cried out.

"You're safe at home but you have to waken up" Severus said continuing to shake the teen lightly.

After a moment of talking the teen out of whatever traumatic experience he was living Draco finally stilled "Uncle Sev?" Draco mumbled still not opening his eyes.

"I'm right here" Severus soothed but he was completely caught off guard when the teen jumped up and threw his arms around his neck as he began to sob "shh, it's okay" Severus said softly and he rubbed the teens back.

"She's gone, Uncle Sev" Draco whispered feeling almost relieved when the older wizards grip tightened around him "she's not coming back".

Severus inhaled sharply as the grief quickly filled the room "I'm sorry, Draco" he finally whispered knowing nothing he said would be able to take away the pain.

The room fell to silence as Severus continued to hold the teen, completely forgetting Draco wasn't a little boy anymore. However, Draco didn't protest, right now he needed to be close to someone and that someone had to be Severus.

Severus continued to rub the teens back until eventually he felt Draco's breathing calm and finally the teen pulled away and sat back on the bed.

"How did you know I needed you?" Draco asked with confusion, he could have sworn he put up a silencing charm before he fell asleep like he always did.

"I think we should be focusing on why you put a silencing charm up?" Severus said seriously.

Draco shrugged and pulled his knees up to his chest, he didn't like being questioned by his godfather because he knew Severus wouldn't back down. Instead Draco continued to look anywhere bar Severus whilst becoming lost in the memory of his mother's death once more.

"Draco you have to speak to me" Severus said with a softer tone.

Draco shrugged again "I just thought you had enough to deal with without me waking you up over a stupid nightmare" he muttered still not looking at Severus.

Severus sighed and dropped his head into his hands for a moment to compose himself, Draco had meant a lot to Severus ever since the Slytherin was born and the idea of the teen feeling he couldn't come to him hurt.

"Uncle Sev?" Draco asked cautiously when his godfather remained silent.

Severus lifted his head from his hands and looked at the teen "do you have any idea how important you are to me, Draco?" he asked seriously.

Draco watched as his godfathers features grew dark, he could tell he had touched a nerve that was hard to touch "What kind of question is that?" he mumbled defensively.

"One to make you think" Severus replied unable to hide his irritation "Draco, I've always been a part of your life, I've looked after you since you were a baby and up until recently you were the only good thing about my life and I will always have time to support you" he said softly.

Draco nodded quickly "I know, but with Harry and the Weasley's you have had a lot to deal with and I know you've been tired recently-"

Severus held his hand up to cut the teen off "why does that mean you don't come first?" he asked.

"Because I'm the strong one" Draco replied.

Severus shook his head "strong or not, you are still allowed support"

"But I'm supposed to be strong and independent" Draco replied.

Severus sighed knowing that attitude was Lucius' doing "you don't have to be anything other than Draco"

Draco looked up awkwardly thinking back to the nightmare Severus had had not long ago, he still didn't fully understand what had happened that night "I just don't want you to be overwhelmed with all our problems when you have to look after yourself too"

Severus rolled his eyes "Draco, I'm okay there's nothing to worry about" he said smiling lightly at the teen.

However, Draco didn't return his guardians smile "but even still you have a lot on, especially when Harry's problems are worse"

"What makes Harry's worse?" Severus asked curiously, completely not understanding Draco's logic.

"He's lost two parents" Draco replied but then frowned realising how petty he must sound.

"Harry did lose both his parents, but he also grew up not knowing them which in some ways is easier" Severus replied simply "Harry never got to know his parents so he's had a lifetime to adjust to being without them and because he didn't get to know them personally he won't miss them the same way you miss your mother"

Draco frowned "but he'll still miss them surely?" it was obvious talking to Harry he still wanted his mum and dad.

Severus nodded "Harry misses them deeply, he misses the things he missed out on with them and he misses the bonds he should have had but the difference is you miss something you've always had and are now without"

"I should be grateful I had my mum for so long" Draco sighed.

"Be thankful for the time you had but it's okay to be upset and even angry about all the time you've lost with her" Severus said sadly "it's hard to spend your life with someone you rely on and suddenly find yourself facing the rest of life without them" Severus replied thinking of his own mother.

"But at least I grew up with a home, Harry didn't have a good home at his relatives either" Draco added sadly.

"With a lot of work I want to undo most of the damage Vernon Dursley has done to Harry" Severus said simply "and your father wasn't much better"

Draco shook his head "I know he wasn't"

Severus sat up straight and turned Draco's head so he could see his godson properly "You and Harry have lived completely different lives and have gone through a variety of horrible experiences but it's not a competition and you both deserve whatever love and support you need"

Draco nodded "I just didn't want to be a bother"

"Draco, I'll never be able to replace Narcissa, but I will always be here to look after you and support you whenever you need it" Severus said meeting the teens sad eyes "no matter how old or independent you get you will always have a room to sleep in and a shoulder to cry on and you will never be a bother"

Draco smiled as his godfather opened his arms and quickly he hugged him tightly "thanks, Uncle Sev" he mumbled.

"I'm always here for you, so no more silencing charms" Severus said seriously "and if, for whatever reason, you don't want to talk to me you can always speak with Molly or someone else you trust"

"I will" Draco insisted.

"Do you think you can go back to bed?" Severus asked remembering the time.

Draco nodded "most definitely" he replied.

Severus sat at the side of the bed telling the blonde stories of his mother until eventually the teen fell into a peaceful sleep once.

"Cody" Severus whispered but the dog only ignored him and climbed onto the bed before cuddling into Draco's side.

. . .

The next morning Severus woke too hot, he scowled when he noticed Cody had returned and was pressed against his side radiating enough heat to warm a dragon. "Get off, dog" he said shoving the dog away but Cody moved back instantly.

After quickly admitting defeat with the dog Severus lay back and listened to the quiet, he could hear Ginny and Ron in conversation probably as they made their way down to breakfast but other than that the house was quiet until Severus heard the sound of footsteps running in his direction.

"Cody! Cody!" Harry shouted worriedly from outside the room "Dad's going to kill me" he muttered as he walked by the door.

Severus laughed lightly at the boys' antics, he could hear the young boys' bare feet running down the hall looking for his already missing pet.

"Harry" Severus called softly and Harry sighed with relief as he saw the dog, he entered the room and sat on the bed next to Severus.

"I don't know how he got out" Harry sighed apologetically.

"I left your door slightly open, it's okay" Severus reassured him and he nodded.

Again Harry noticed the scars on his father's chest as his shirt was unbuttonedand he felt inclined to touch them, Severus flinched at the touch again but let him, he understood it was Harry's was of processing it and his way of trying to comfort him.

"Did you ever tell my mum?" Harry asked sitting back on the bed.

"Yes" Severus said quietly looking down.

"What did she do?" Harry asked curiously.

"Exactly what you're doing now" Severus said softly and Harry smiled gently.

Finally Harry settled down on the bed next to Severus; it was still quite early and neither of them wanted to get up. Suddenly a dark thought flooded Severus' mind, he tried to shake it but he couldn't and he knew if he didn't ask it would eat away at him "Harry?" he asked gently "your uncle never did anything like that to you, did he?" Severus asked and Harry instantly shook his head.

"He didn't, I promise" Harry said honestly and Severus sighed with relief.

"I can't believe schools next week" Harry said excitedly but he felt Severus tense. "Do you not want to go back?" Harry asked and Severus shrugged; he always had mixed emotions about going back to work, especially this year since it would mean seeing Draco and Harry less.

"Are you excited?" Severus asked and Harry nodded.

"Dad" Harry said sitting up "at school are you my Dad too? Or are you going to go back to being mean?" he asked his eyes filled with concern and Severus sighed; Harry really feared the _other_ Severus.

"I can't give you special treatment in classes but I am still your dad and I will still protect you and be there whenever you want me, you just have to come get me" Severus said and Harry smiled, he knew it was going to be an amazing year.

"Actually I have something for you" Severus said moving over slightly so he could reach the drawer of the bedside table. "This was your mothers" he said passing Harry a small bracelet; it was a solid silver chain with a silver tag in the middle of it, Severus offered his arm to show Harry he was wearing an identical one. "You can use it to talk to me when we're back at Hogwarts" he said putting the bracelet on the boy's small wrist.

"How?" Harry asked confused.

Severus pressed his thumb onto his bracelet and Harry felt his tingle against his skin, he looked and the tag that was once plain now read 'like this' Harry's eyes widened "how did you do that?" he asked and Severus smiled.

"I think of what I want to tell you and at the same time I press my thumb on my tag and it comes up on yours, try it" he suggested and Harry nodded. Severus looked at his bracelet to see a simple 'hello'.

"Wow" Harry said in amazement "why is it warm?" he asked holding out the bracelet.

"It's letting you know I'm happy; if it goes cold I'm sad, if it burns I'm angry and if it tingles I'm scared" Severus said and Harry smiled, _Severus was happy._

"Does it let you know where I am?" Harry asked and Severus shook his head.

"No but you can use it to tell me" Severus said simply and Harry nodded.

"Did you use them at school?" Harry asked curiously.

"All the time, it was difficult for us to talk with all the drama going on and it let her know how I was feeling underneath the emotionless face and snappy attitude" Severus said and Harry could tell by his wording he was repeating something his mum had said, he smiled lightly and hugged Severus tightly.

"Thanks, I love it" Harry said.

Cody jumped off the bed with a bark and within minutes there was a scream from Draco's room "give me that!" the blonde boy shouted chasing the dog into the room soaking wet with a towel wrapped around his waist. Harry and Severus both looked over the bed and down at the ground to see Cody sitting with Draco's wand in his mouth. "You stupid dog, give me it!" he shouted and the dog barked and ran out the room still holding the wand. "You will regret this; I'm going to hex you into next week!" Draco shouted chasing after the dog, Harry's eyes widened.

"He won't, he's full of empty threats" Severus said getting out of bed clearly not worried by the dog drama "but he is your dog so you should go get him" he said and Harry nodded and ran out the room after the dog.

Severus smiled to himself, Harry had come a long way and although it was now obvious Draco was struggling the teen still had a fight left in him.

. . .

Harry, Ron, Hermione and the twins sat in the garden enjoying one of their last summer days together. It was definitely a bittersweet thought to know this summer was coming to an end, for Harry especially. It had been a summer of new beginnings for Harry and he had grown so used to living in his own bubble the idea of returning to a dangerous world where he had to be 'the-boy-who-lived' was something he didn't look forward to, but he also missed Hogwarts and the rest of his friends.

"What are you thinking, Harry?" Hermione asked curiously.

Harry shrugged "I'm just thinking about school"

Ron rolled his eyes "isn't that Hermione's job?"

"Shut up, Ron" Hermione said rolling her eyes.

Harry laughed lightly "not about the actual work, I'm thinking about Hogsmeade and the Triwizard Tournament" he smirked lightly, the twins had overheard a conversation between Severus and Mr Weasley about the upcoming tournament and it had left them all excited about what to expect and after Hermione had told them all she knew they were even more excited.

"We won't have to sneak you to Hogsmeade this year" Ron grinned.

"You're welcome, Harry" Fred smirked.

Harry laughed lightly "Severus has already signed the form"

"Where's Draco?" Ron asked curiously, if they were going to talk about school he'd rather go play chess with the Slytherin.

"I think he's with your mum" Hermione replied.

Harry smiled lightly, the more he thought about it he was worried Draco would take the Weasley's moving out worse than he would.

"I can't wait for the tournament" Fred grinned "I wonder who the goblet will pick"

"Cedric Diggory, we all know it" George said rolling his eyes lightly.

"Nah, he's overrated" Fred mumbled.

Hermione rolled her eyes "I won't be participating"

"I will be" Fred said boldly "well if I get picked" he added.

"Are you going to put your name in, Harry?" Ron asked curiously.

Harry shook his head "I doubt it" he said laughing lightly at Hermione's obvious relief.

"Why not?" Ron frowned.

"I think we're due a quieter school year with no drama" Harry admitted, as much as being 'the-boy-who-lived' had its' perks constantly having people watching had become pretty irritating and he had recently realised that when the champions were announced and the games begun the focus wouldn't be on him, he really wanted a year where he didn't have to be the focus of attention and could just be normal.

"First year wasn't that bad" Ron shrugged.

"Well if you don't include the part where the man who killed my parents attached himself to the back of my professors head it was fine" Harry replied rolling his eyes.

"Small details, Harry" Fred winked and they all laughed lightly.

"Harry, can I have a word?" Sirius asked coming into sight from the side of the house.

Harry frowned lightly, was he in trouble? "Sure" he replied running over to his godfather.

. . .

Harry and Sirius sat at the front of the house as Harry watched Sirius slightly nervous about why he had been called away.

"This was found when we were doing work at The Burrow" Sirius said passing Harry the old blanket.

Harry smiled and quickly took the tacky blanket "my blanket, I thought it had been destroyed" he said simply as he looked up at Sirius unsure of why he looked so sad.

"Why was it at The Burrow, Harry?" Sirius asked curiously.

Harry shrugged not understanding his godfathers interest "Dudley used to always threaten to destroy it so I used to hide it under a loose floorboard and then when I started Hogwarts I got Ron to take it to his during the summers" Harry explained feeling slightly embarrassed about going to such an effort over a blanket "it's the only baby thing I've ever had" he added for justification.

Sirius smiled warmly at the now slightly awkward looking teen "do you know who it belonged to?" he asked softly.

"Me?" Harry frowned.

"It was your dads" Sirius said smiling down at the blanket.

Harry looked down at the blanket wide eyed "for real?" he said simply.

"For real, kiddo" Sirius replied with a small smile "he had it throughout school"

Harry smiled down at the tatty old blanket, he'd always known there was something special about the blanket and now Sirius had just confirmed it. This blanket was another piece of his parents he could add to his growing collection.

"Sirius…" Harry said awkwardly looking up at his godfather "do you think my dad would be happy for me?" he asked nervously.

"In what way?" Sirius asked, but he knew deep down the teen was worried about how things had turned out this summer.

"I mean me living here…" Harry said before pausing to look for the right words "I know my dad and…Professor Snape didn't get on and with how much he still dislikes my dad and the amount you and Professor Snape still bicker years later I know it must have been bad" Harry sighed.

Sirius watched the teen closely and he could tell by the way Harry's lips kept slightly parting that the teen hadn't finished whatever he wanted to say.

"I just worry he'd hate me like he hated Snape" Harry sighed.

Severus shook his head "Harry, you won't remember but your parents truly did love you more than anything else in the world and that was an unconditional love" Sirius begun now taking his turn to fight for the right words while Harry waited patiently "if your father was alive he would most definitely be the one to bring you up and look after you but since he's not I'm sure he would just be relieved you've finally found somebody who looks after you properly" he finally replied before swallowing awkwardly.

Harry nodded completely unsure of what to say, a few years ago he had nobody to truly call a parental figure but since starting Hogwarts he had gotten to really know his parents and had found lots of people that wanted to help fill their shoes and it could be overwhelming at times.

"And even if your father was still alive and you went home and told him Snape was your favourite professor I reckon he'd get over it eventually" Sirius smirked.

"I still miss them" Harry blurted out "I know things have gotten better recently because I have you and Snape and everyone else but I haven't forgotten them, I still wish they were here" Harry sighed.

"Oh Harry, they're always with you" Sirius smiled brightly "maybe not in the way you want but they'll always be here" he said placing his hand on the teens heart.

Harry placed his hand over Sirius' and looked up at the man warmly "I'm glad you escaped from Azkaban, even if you did bite Ron and break his leg" Harry teased.

"We're friends now" Sirius smirked with a small shrug.

Both of them were distracted when Remus came storming out clearly wondering where the other marauder had ended up, he still didn't trust Sirius not to cause trouble at Snape Manor when left unsupervised for too long "there you are" he smiled.

"Speaking of guardians" Sirius muttered before getting to his feet.

Harry giggled lightly causing Remus to frown when he gathered the joke was at his expense.

"I need your help putting up wards at The Burrow" Remus said simply.

"Yes Moony, coming Moony" Sirius said.

Remus shoved Sirius lightly catching the man completely off guard and Harry couldn't stop the small laugh that escaped when his godfather nearly went flying. When both men were finally out of sight Harry turned his attention back to the blanket and he felt better knowing his father didn't grow out of it too soon too.

. . .

Later that night Sirius and Remus returned after making a start on the wards at The Burrow with Mr Weasley, they had decided it was best to put new, more complex wards on the house since it was possible they would again find themselves a target during any upcoming attacks.

Most of the teenagers however had had a quiet evening in as the rain started again. "It's weird you go home in a few days" Harry sighed as he moved the chess piece.

"I know, it's going to be weird without you all" Ron smiled lightly "mum said you can stay the Friday before we go back if you still want to?"

Harry grinned widely "definitely! I'll speak to Severus but I know he'll say yes"

Ron smiled at Harry and looked back down at the chess board.

"What?" Harry asked noticing the unusual smile.

Ron met his friends gaze once more "I'm just happy things finally worked out for you" Ron admitted "it was always hard coming home during the summers knowing you went home to nothing"

Harry tensed slightly at the thought of his previous summers and his previous life in general, now he had a taste of what it felt like to have a family the idea of life being any different made him feel slightly sick. "I'm just glad to be happy"

"I never thought it would be Snape that gave you that" Ron admitted "I still don't think I'd believe it if I hadn't seen it for myself"

Harry laughed lightly but sighed when he realised he'd been beaten.

"Check mate" Ron grinned.

"Hello, boys" Dumbledore said entering the room.

Harry could instantly tell something was wrong, the headmaster looked tired and stressed as he made his way quickly into the room clearing scanning it for somebody else.

"Hello, Professor" Ron said still smiling triumphantly.

"Hello, sir" Harry said simply.

"Where is Severus?" Dumbledore asked.

"I'm not sure" Harry shrugged, if Severus hadn't been helping with the wards he was working on potions, creating even more lesson plans or ordering potion supplies.

Dumbledore sighed heavily and left the room leaving the two Gryffindor's curious as to what was going on.

"I wonder what's happening" Harry muttered to Ron.

"Let's find Hermione" Ron said as they both got up and left the room in the direction of the library.

. . .

Severus sat in his lab working on a few final potions for Madame Pomphrey when there was a knock at the door, after casting a charm to make sure the potions wouldn't spoil he made his way over to the door. "Hello, Albus" Severus said unable to hide his annoyance that Dumbledore was checking up on him, especially when Severus had made it clear he had work to do.

"My boy, I need to speak to you" Dumbledore said simply.

Severus frowned at the headmasters unusually haunted tone "what's happened?" he asked nervously.

"Take a seat" Dumbledore insisted.

"I don't want to sit" Severus said instantly "what's happened?" he asked again.

Dumbledore watched his younger colleague sadly for a moment detesting the fact he had to be the bringer of bad news, although Severus was having a fragile few months the man was doing well and he didn't want to be the one to cause the setback "I've had word from the ministry on the future of Lucius Malfoy" Dumbledore said simply.

"Well he'll be sent to Azkaban" Severus said dismissively but he frowned as Dumbledore shook his head "Albus…"

Dumbledore shook his head again "I don't know what strings he has managed to pull or who he's managed to manipulate but he's been cleared of all charges"

Severus sighed and dropped his head into his hands, this was the last thing they needed. Slowly he composed himself and met Dumbledore's gaze "has there been any word on what he plans to do next?" Severus asked knowing there was no point dwelling on how Lucius got out, it was common knowledge he has connections.

"He wants Draco" Dumbledore replied calmly "he wants Draco" he repeated with a large sigh when Severus didn't respond, for once he was finding it had to tell if the man had taken in what he was saying or had zoned out completely.

Severus felt his entire body tighten as his body was flooded with nausea "he can't have him" he muttered in the deadliest of tones.

Dumbledore shook his head "he's preparing to take you to court and if he wins there's nothing we can do till Draco is 17"

"He hits him!" Severus shouted slamming his fists down on the table "how can he take me to court over a child when everyone knows its public knowledge he wants to use Draco as a weapon?" Severus shouted "how can he take me to court over a child he doesn't even love? A child he only had to continue some crazy bloodline fantasy?" he muttered.

Dumbledore grabbed Severus arm tightly "we won't back down without a fight" he said reassuringly.

"He'll win" Severus said simply shaking Dumbledore off "he can offer everything I can and he's the boys' father, if the courts are willing to free him from Azkaban they'll be willing to give him Draco"

"We don't know that" Dumbledore said, but he knew he sounded doubtful.

Severus shook his head "Draco won't cope, he'll be broken within a week"

Dumbledore sighed and watched the younger wizard begin to pace frantically.

"He's not coping as it is, he had nightmares and he's still recovering from Narcissa…plus he needs Mrs Weasley and he won't cope without Harry…Harry won't cope without him" Severus rambled so fast Dumbledore actually had to process what he was saying.

"Breathe, Severus" Dumbledore reminded him.

The authority in Dumbledore's tone stopped him instantly, it often did when the older wizard had to remind him to stop and breathe "When's the court case?" Severus asked slightly more composed..

"Next Wednesday" Dumbledore replied.

"That's only four days away" Severus said dropping his head into his hands once more, roughly he rubbed his eyes and looked back up at Albus "can't we delay it, school starts only a few days after so if we can delay it with enough time to get him to Hogwarts, then he's safe till at least Christmas"

Dumbledore shook his head "it was supposed to be tomorrow, I managed to push it back"

"We just won't go" Severus said boldly.

"You know you can't do that, Severus…" Dumbledore sighed.

"I promised him I'd keep him safe" Severus gasped as he looked up at his mentor, but this time Dumbledore didn't have the answers.

 **Oaaakay there's finally a new chapter! First of all I want to say the BIGGEST thank you to everyone that has been supportive whilst I went on a bit of a break. I know it's been a while since I last posted because of it but I really did need some time to reset and I feel a lot better for it, my mental health is still getting there but it's definitely better than it was!**

 **Thank you so much for all the PM's and reviews I received that were so kind and supportive, it really helped and made me want to start writing again sooner than I'd originally planned.**

 **I know this chapter is a little shorter but it perfectly sets what I want to happen next so I've decided to leave it there, I think this is where this fic takes a big turn from the original I posted.**

 **Anyway I'm rambling, I hope everyone is well and I'll update when I can! (still taking it easy)**


	17. Chapter 17 - Under the moon

Severus woke on Sunday morning still feeling as tense as he had done the night before, he had spent most of the night staring at the ceiling wondering how he was going to keep Draco under his roof. Dumbledore had contacted Severus later on that night and informed him it was best Draco stayed in a 'neutral' home till after the trial. This had only made Severus angrier than he had been since they were willing to sacrifice Draco's stable home for the sake of a few days.

Eventually Severus got up and after a quick shower he set off looking for Molly knowing she would already be awake and preparing for the day.

"You have man flu!" Severus heard Molly insisting as he entered the kitchen.

Fred was sitting at the kitchen table with a blanket firmly wrapped around his body, his face was whiter than usual and his nose was slightly red.

"I don't have man flu" Fred protested sniffling loudly.

"Of course you don't" Molly smiled "take this and get back to bed, I'll check on you after breakfast" she said passing her son a large, steaming mug.

Fred took the mug and with a small sigh left the room still sniffling lightly.

"Is he okay?" Severus asked raising a brow, he had never seen one of the Weasley twins quiet unless they were up to something.

Molly nodded "he just has a cold"

"I'll take him up some pepperup potion in a moment" Severus said still warily hovering in the doorway.

Molly frowned when she noticed the professors' unusual attitude "has something happened, Severus?" she asked putting down her mug and eying him curiously.

Severus sighed and put up a silencing charm knowing the kids were waking up by this point and could be anywhere "It's Draco-"

"Is he alright?" Molly butted in making a move for the door.

Severus stopped her quickly "for now he is" he said simply before pausing for a moment to find the right words "Lucius Malfoy has managed to wriggle his way out of all the charges and he wants Draco back" he said not breaking eye contact with Molly once.

Molly's eyes flickered with rage "surely he can't just turn up and take him?" she asked.

Severus nodded lightly "there's going to be court case on Wednesday to decide what happens to Draco" he sighed pinching the bridge of his nose "I don't think I'll win"

Molly frowned lightly at the potions master "why wouldn't you?"

"Lucius has already pulled a few strings and I don't know what else he has up his sleeve" Severus said honestly.

Molly shook her head "we don't need tricks or strings, you just have to be yourself and the courts will see you are the right person to raise Draco" she said sounding determined.

Severus nodded softly realising Molly's determination was exactly what he needed "I need to ask you for a favour" he said looking away awkwardly, he didn't like asking for favours.

"Anything, Severus" Molly replied.

"They've suggested Draco stays elsewhere until after the trial…"Severus said going silent as words failed him.

Molly glared and shook her head "that's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard" she hissed.

"I think Lucius wants me to crack before the trial" Severus stated simply "and he knows taking Draco will aggravate me"

Molly nodded "well then you know you'll need to keep calm"

"I'll try but I just worry-"

"You don't need to worry, he'll be fine at The Burrow" Molly smiled answering his unspoken question.

Severus sighed with relief "thank you, Molly"

"After this summer I owe you" Molly smiled "and I've grown quite fond of your godson"

Severus smiled warmly thinking of Draco's growing relationship with the Weasley's "I think the feeling is mutual" he said making his way over to the coffee machine.

"When will you tell him?" Molly asked curiously.

Severus stopped for a second and sighed, he was already dreading the look on his young Slytherin's face at the news "when he wakes up and then I'll have to tell Harry"

Severus and Molly were both interrupted as Harry entered the kitchen, silently Severus lifted the charm and luckily Harry was too tired to notice.

"Morning" Harry mumbled lightly before sitting down and resting his head on the kitchen table.

Severus laughed lightly "you were meanwhile staying in bed" he said ruffling the boys' already disastrous hair.

Harry shook his head "can I visit Sirius and Remus today?" he asked looking up hopefully at Severus, although he wouldn't admit it he had been thinking about his dad a lot after discovering the real history of his blanket and he wanted more than anything to spend time with the remaining Marauders.

Severus nodded "I'll give Remus a floo call once I've given Fred a pepperup potion" he said making his way to the potions lab, he offered Molly a small smile as a silent thanks as he vanished down the hallway.

. . .

After Severus had dropped Harry off with Sirius and Remus he returned to Snape Manor realising he wouldn't be able to put off telling Draco for much longer. Slowly he made his way towards the teen's room trying to word what he was going to say in his head whilst thinking of multiple different scenarios on how the conversation might go.

Severus knocked gently on Draco's bedroom door and opened it to find Draco sprawled out on the bed with Cody by his side, he smiled sadly at his godson before sitting on the bed next to him.

"Hey" Draco said simply "is everything okay?" he asked when Severus only continued to stare at him blankly "Uncle Sev?" he asked.

Severus nodded "sorry it's just been a long few days" he said smiling at Draco.

"Are you okay?" Draco asked nervously.

Severus shuffled back so he was sitting against the headboard "I'm okay" he smiled.

"If you say so" Draco frowned.

"Come sit next to me" Severus said and without hesitating Draco moved into his godfathers open arms.

Severus sighed and closed his eyes fighting back the tears, gently he hugged his godson and allowed his mind to wander to when Draco was a child; he thought back to his first steps that he took in Severus' living room with Narcissa, he thought about all the times Draco had laughed, cried and grown right before his eyes. Protectively he squeezed the Slytherin tighter and surprisingly Draco didn't protest.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Draco asked looking up at Severus.

"Of course I am, you're here" Severus smiled.

Draco nodded and settled his head back down onto Severus' chest.

"Draco…" Severus began taking a deep breath.

"Yeah?" Draco asked looking up once more.

"You know I'm proud of you, don't you?" Severus asked looking down at the Slytherin.

Draco nodded and offered his Godfather a shy smile.

"I mean that, I'm proud of who you've become" Severus said sternly "you've come a long way and recently you've shown how pure and good you are"

Draco watched his godfather uncomfortably "why are you saying this?"

"There's no easy way of telling you this-"

"Spit it out, Uncle Sev" Draco said rolling his eyes lightly.

"Your father isn't going to Azkaban, he's been cleared of all charges" Severus said allowing the room to fall to silence.

Draco's eyes widened as he looked up at his godfather, how had his father managed it this time? Silently he began to feel sick thinking of all the possible places he might bump into the older Malfoy, would he even be able to go to Diagon Alley?

"He's going to fight me for custody" Severus added breaking the silence once more.

Draco shook his head and pulled away from his godfather to see Severus better, it was clear his godfather was trying to remain composed but it was obvious by the man's eyes he was scared stiff "you can't let him, Uncle Sev" Draco said shaking his head lightly.

"I'm going to fight him with all I have" Severus replied taking his godsons hands "I won't let him take you away"

"I can't go back to him, I can't" Draco choked shaking his head lightly.

"I know you can't" Severus said softly.

Draco blinked away the tears that were now beginning to escape "he'll give me to The Dark Lord, I don't want to be a death eater"

"You won't be" Severus said sternly.

Draco stared at the wall blankly feeling he already knew what was to come, Lucius was a powerful man with a lot of strings to pull and he had a feeling deep down he would win the trial. Draco closed his eyes knowing the life he had begun to call his own was ending and that there was nothing he could do about it "I'm sorry, Uncle Sev" Draco sniffled thinking of himself having the dark mark and standing opposite Harry when the day finally comes.

"Why are you sorry?" Severus asked.

"I'm sorry he's my dad" Draco sobbed becoming almost oblivious when Severus pulled him into a hug.

"He might be your dad, but you are you" Severus said simply.

Draco shook his head "I'll be just like him" he whispered so quietly Severus almost didn't here, subconsciously Draco glanced at his arm already imagining the dark mark forming.

. . .

Eventually Draco fell asleep and quietly Severus began to pack the teen's trunk, he packed enough casual clothes for one week but left enough space for the teen to gather whatever personal items he wanted to take with him to The Burrow.

Growing sick looking at the trunk Severus shut the bedroom door silently and made his way further down the hall to Harry's room.

Harry was sprawled out on his bed reading new quidditch books Remus had bought him earlier that day "look what Remus bought me" he said holding up the books.

"Harry I need to talk to you" Severus said ignoring the books completely.

Harry frowned lightly wondering if Severus had worked out he missed his real dad, nervously he looked down at his hands already imagining being sent away with just his blanket and Hedwig.

"You've done nothing wrong" Severus said softly noticing the anxiety tick almost instantly.

"Oh" Harry frowned unable to hide the confusion in his voice.

"Lucius Malfoy didn't get sent to Azkaban, he's taking me to court to get Draco back" Severus said simply realising if he hovered around the subject Harry would start creating his own assumptions.

Harry tilted his head slightly with confusion "but he can't do that, can he?"

Severus nodded lightly but didn't say anything.

"I don't understand" Harry said simply.

Severus sighed lightly "you are aware of how powerful Lucius is?" he asked softly.

Harry shrugged and looked down "I know how powerful he is I'm not stupid" he muttered "but he can't just take Draco when even the ministry knows how bad he is"

Severus sighed but didn't continue that part of the conversation "it's been decided he should move to a neutral home until after the trial on Wednesday"

"Why?" Harry frowned.

"So we can't put further influence on the situation" Severus answered honestly but leaving out that it was Lucius' request.

"Well we wouldn't" Harry protested "he won't get away with this" he said getting to his feet.

"Harry" Severus warned "sit down please" he said pointing at the bed.

"No!" Harry half-shouted "we have to do something"

Severus flicked his wand subtly and locked the door before the team could storm off into the unknown "and where are you going exactly?" Severus asked sternly not appreciating the Gryffindor instincts.

"To speak to Dumbledore" Harry said confidently "he'll fix it"

"The Headmaster knows already" Severus said softly not wanting to lose his temper although his teen wasn't thinking properly.

"What do we do then?" Harry asked eying Severus for answers.

"You don't do anything" Severus said pulling the boy back down into a sitting position.

Harry frowned "we have to fight-"

Severus shook his head "what I need you to do is be good and leave it to me"

Harry nodded but didn't speak, what he really needed was to speak with Ron and Hermione.

. . .

The next morning the atmosphere in the house was tense, it was the day the Weasley's finally got to go back to The Burrow but it was also possibly Draco's last morning at home. Molly could be heard throughout the house ordering her children around about gathering bags at the floo and making sure they had everything but the golden trio were nowhere to be seen.

Harry, Ron and Hermione sat in the treehouse quickly thinking up possible solutions to Draco's problem. Hermione had taken several books from Snape's library with hope something might give them an idea of what to do to win the trial whereas Harry had resulted to looking helplessly out the window.

"I have an idea" Ron finally said breaking the silence.

Hermione looked up from the several books and Harry quickly turned his attention back to his friends.

"We kidnap the judge and use a polyjuice potion to imitate him and then we can give Snape custody" Ron said proudly.

Hermione scoffed "that's the worst idea I've ever heard" she said simply.

"How?" Ron glared.

"Well we can't keep the judge locked up forever" Hermione stated simply.

"We can obliviate him" Ron argued.

Hermione shook her head "that's ridiculously risky, plus you know how long it takes to brew polyjuice potion" she added looking back at her books.

"I can't think of anything" Harry said shaking his head.

Hermione sighed closing the books and after carefully stacking them she went over to the window and gently took Harry's hand "Harry…I think for once the best thing to do is to do nothing"

"I can't do nothing, Hermione!" Harry snapped.

"We need to!" Hermione insisted "the professor's know what they're doing and we have to trust them"

Harry shook his head lightly

Harry felt his bracelet buzz lightly and he looked down to check on Severus 'come home now please' was all the message read.

. . .

Harry entered the living room to find Draco standing alone watching the floo sadly, Hermione had taken the books back to the library and Ron had been sent to finish packing.

"Hey" Harry said simply unsure of what to say.

"Hey" Draco whispered looking up to meet Harry's gaze.

Harry ran his fingers through his hair nervously "I don't want you to go" he choked.

Draco shook his head "me neither"

"Dumbledore will fix this" Harry insisted.

"Harry…" Draco said approaching the boy he had grown to value as a little brother "I'm going to miss you…"

Harry shook his head "please don't talk like that" he said already feeling the tears forming in the corner of his eyes.

"Like what?" Draco asked.

"Like you've given up"

"You don't know my dad-"

"But I know you!" Harry butted in.

Draco shook his head lightly "it will be a miracle if Severus wins" he said watching the Gryffindor sadly "I think this might be where our friendship has to end" Draco choked lightly.

"Why would it end?" Harry frowned "even if you don't come back I'll see you at school"

Draco smiled lightly at Harry's ability to see right through the obvious "no doubt I'll be coming back to school as one of you-know-who's followers, I won't be able to get close to you for both your safety as well as mines"

Harry nodded "I understand"

"I'm sorry, Harry" Draco whispered.

"For what?" Harry frowned.

"For whatever is to come" Draco replied but before he could say anymore Harry pulled him into a hug.

"Stay safe" Harry whispered not noticing the others now beginning to gather in the room "I'll always be looking out for you"

"See you at school, Potter" Draco mumbled before stepping back.

"Are you ready?" Mrs Weasley asked cautiously.

Draco shook his head and looked up Severus desperately who quickly came over and hugged him "please don't let him take me, Uncle Sev" he whispered into his godfathers ear.

. . .

Harry sat in the treehouse looking up at the moon, The Weasley's and Draco had only been gone for a day but suddenly it felt like they'd never been here. Wiping a stray tear from his eye Harry looked from star to star and hoped silently if his parents were looking down on him they'd be able to fix things.

"Harry?" Severus asked instantly getting Harry's attention.

Harry looked back to see Severus standing at the top of the ladder watching him quietly, sighing Harry sat back on Draco's beanbag that he'd recently moved back to where the Slytherin had insisted it was put when they first started decorating.

"How are you feeling?" Severus asked softly.

Harry shrugged and inhaled sharply now fighting back a wave of tears "it feels like they were never here"

Severus nodded "it will be okay" he said before sitting on Harry's beanbag.

"It's so quiet now" Harry said listening to the whooshing sound coming from wind blowing through the trees.

"No screaming or shouting" Severus added with a small smile.

Harry laughed lightly "you're probably relieved for a break"

Severus shrugged lightly "I don't mind a bit of chaos once in a while"

"I love you, dad" Harry said catching Severus completely off guard.

"I love you too" Severus said with a small smile.

After a moment Harry got to his feet and made his way back over the window to look at the moon once more.

Severus instinctively got up and followed Harry over to the window "I've always found the moon quite comforting" he said instantly catching Harry's attention, he knew the teen liked getting an insight into his thoughts.

"Why's that?" Harry asked curiously as he turned to face his guardian.

Severus looked down at the teen and smiled "when your mother and I drifted apart I always took comfort in knowing that when we looked up at night we saw the same moon, because if we could look up and see the same thing she wasn't that faraway"

"What do you think Draco's doing right now?" Harry asked looking up at the moon once more.

"I'm not sure" Severus answered honestly staring up at the sky as well.

Little did they know Draco was at The Burrow, under the same clear sky, looking up at the same bright moon.

 **Aaaand there's another chapter done! I'm sorry I've not been able to be consistent with uploads but I'm really unwell at the moment and writing is almost impossible!**

 **Anyway, I'm hoping to get a chapter out in the next week or so and I'm looking forward to writing an explosive court case!**

 **I hope you've all had a lovely day!**


	18. Chapter 18 -Battle of The Dads

By the time Tuesday finally arrived Harry was bored. Severus had done his best to occupy the teen over the past few days but it was obvious Harry was struggling with the fact all his friends were at The Burrow and with Draco being there he couldn't visit until after the trial.

Harry walked aimlessly through the hallways kicking on old football he had found by the treehouse earlier in the day, he couldn't help but wonder what Ron and Draco were doing, were they playing chess? Was Draco okay?

Quietly Harry began to reflect on yesterday, it had been a long day while Severus and the headmaster had worked on the trial. He had spent the afternoon at Hogwarts with Hagrid and he couldn't help but feel guilty at how distracted and uninterested he must have seemed. Harry was later collected by Remus and they spent the evening in the library reading while Remus tried to cheer the teen up and keep him distracted from Severus' absence.

After becoming oblivious to where he was walking his eyes grew wide when he realised he was back on the third floor, quickly Harry turned and went to leave when he noticed the door next to the stairs was slightly open.

Curiously Harry opened the door to the room and was surprised to find the room was bright, with large windows and a cream carpet. What got Harry's attention almost instantly was the large piano placed neatly between the two large windows.

Quickly Harry made his way over and sat at the piano admiring the keys. Gently he pressed down on one of the keys and listened to the light note that filled the room, gently he began pressing various notes before gliding his hand from one end of the piano to the other.

Contently Harry began to press the keys gently making up small, slightly out of tune songs whilst humming lightly. Harry had become so occupied with the piano he hadn't noticed Severus leaning against the door frame, with his arms crossed while he watched the teen.

Severus had panicked when his wand gestured that Harry was on the third floor but he couldn't help feeling content watching the teen find some comfort in the piano.

"Changing your mind about being an auror?" Severus asked.

Harry jumped and spun round but frowned when he noticed his guardian laughing lightly "huh?" he asked.

"You'd make a good pianist" Severus said simply.

"I don't know how to play it properly" Harry admitted.

Severus smiled lightly and made his way fully into the room "I can teach you one day"

"You know how to play?" Harry asked curiously as Severus sat next to him.

"I can't read music but I can play by ear" Severus admitted.

"Can Draco play?" Harry asked curiously as he looked up at Severus.

Severus sighed as empty green eyes met his own but he nodded lightly "he can read sheet music"

"Dad?" Harry asked at he looked up at Severus.

"Yes?" Severus asked as he looked down at Harry.

"Can I come with you to the trial?" Harry asked hopefully but he sighed lightly as Severus shook his head "why not?"

Severus sighed lightly "it's not an atmosphere I want you to experience"

"I want to support Draco" Harry argued.

Severus smiled warmly down at the teen "I know you do but my answer is no"

"What if I stayed out the way?" Harry asked "in another room I mean" he added when Severus only raised a brow.

"Well then what would be the point in you being there?" Severus asked simply.

Harry shrugged "just to be nearby" he said almost to himself "please let me come with you"

"I can't have you sitting in a room on your own" Severus said dismissively, Harry would only get into trouble if he was left to his own devices in such an important building.

"Sirius can sit with me because he'll just get bored in the trial anyway" Harry replied.

Severus smirked lightly at the teen "and who will be keeping Sirius out of trouble while he's keeping you out of trouble?" he asked.

"We can keep each other out of trouble" Harry nodded confidently, it was the perfect idea because he could be nearby but not with someone too strict.

Severus rolled his eyes "that doesn't fill me with confidence" he muttered.

"Please" Harry sighed.

Severus could tell by the look of desperation it was important for Harry to be there and knowing the boy was in the same building and out of trouble gave him one less thing to worry about. But could Severus really trust Harry to not cause trouble? "I'll think about it" he finally said.

. . .

Severus stood outside the court room feeling sick to his stomach, he looked around the busy hallway and although he recognised a few of the faces passing by he had no interest in working out their significance.

Lucius Malfoy's lawyer walked by, looking more slimy than usual as he slipped into a side room where his client must have been waiting. Severus scoffed lightly as he continued to people watch, taking a few moments to compose himself before the trial, he had to stay focused and get Draco home.

Severus continued to watch as more people walked by with piles of paperwork levitating beside them as they made their way into various offices, he rolled his eyes as a woman in her early twenties, that closely resembled a younger Rita Skeeter, ran into a room almost dropping her mug of tea as she ran headfirst into what looked like another lawyer.

Severus' eyes then wandered to another two men that were wearing long black robes. Like most of the people passing by Severus had never seen them before in his life, they both were clearly there for a reason but seemed casual in their approach, unlike the tea spilling girl. One of them eyed Severus carefully as they made their way into another room further down the hallway.

"Dad?" Harry asked sticking his head out from one of the rooms and instantly distracting Severus from his thoughts.

Severus sighed "Harry, the deal was you got to come as long as you stayed in the room" he said softly knowing how desperate the teen was for today to go to plan.

"I know" Harry said simply.

"Right that's enough, kiddo" Sirius said appearing behind Harry and offering Severus a small smile before closing the door. Severus had finally agreed to allow Harry to come to the trial, as long as he stayed in the one room with Sirius until Severus came to collect him after.

"Severus?" Molly called out as she entered the hallway.

Severus quickly made his way towards Molly "how has he been?" he asked nervously.

Molly offered Severus a weak smile "he's scared"

"Where is he now?" Severus asked looking around at the various different wooden doors.

Molly nodded her head subtly towards one of the doors "he's in there with Professor McGonagall"

"Good" Severus said simply "thank you for looking after him, Molly"

Molly smiled at Severus warmly "I just hope we win today, Severus. How is Harry?"

Severus sighed as he looked back towards the door that contained the restless teen "he's definitely feeling a bit lost" he answered unsure of what to say.

"Hello Severus, Molly" Dumbledore greeted as he made his way out of one of the rooms.

Severus smiled lightly at the older wizard hoping that Dumbledore's reputation would give them the upper hand in the trial.

"Are you ready?" Dumbledore asked eyeing Severus cautiously.

Severus nodded lightly "I'm ready" he replied simply although his voice was filled with doubt.

Dumbledore smiled lightly "let's take our seats" he said gesturing them towards the courtroom.

. . .

The judge was a larger man that looked almost like a slightly angrier version of Albus Dumbledore crossed with a dementor. He sat patiently with his jury on either side as everybody began to flood in and take their seats.

Lucius sat on the left hand side with just his lawyer beside him, Severus instantly recognised the lawyer as the same one that helped Lucius get out of his charges during the first war.

Suddenly Severus' mind became tangled in the first war; all the death eater trials that followed were almost as unbearable as the war itself. Closing his eyes Severus could remember the accusations thrown in his direction, some of which he was guilty of and he couldn't help but sigh with relief that he didn't end up in Azkaban. He flinched as a soft hand landed on his shoulder and he turned around to see Albus sitting warmly behind him.

Albus offered the younger wizard a small smile and a slight nod.

Severus sighed inwardly taking slight comfort in the fact the headmaster was just behind him and although he couldn't see the man he could tell Albus was reading every detail of the room.

. . .

"Please stand" the judge called and everyone in the room quickly got to their feet.

"Today we are here to discuss an appropriate custody arrangement for one Draco Lucius Malfoy" the judge stated.

Severus could already feel the tension in the room fill as the judges' eyes locked with his own, he continued to stare down the judge trying to read his expression but the judge stared at Severus blankly.

"Enter Draco Lucius Malfoy" the judge stated simply.

Draco was led into the room by another ministry official and Severus could tell instantly the teen was terrified as he was led to a lone chair in front of the judge.

Draco frantically looked around the room desperate to lock eyes with anybody that would offer him some type of reassurance, almost immediately he noticed Severus and Molly and he smiled gently in their direction as Molly offered him a small wave.

Draco stood by the chair now feeling a lot smaller as the jury towered around him in the stands.

"From today's trial we will decide whether it is appropriate for Draco to remain with Professor Severus Tobias Snape or return to his father Lucius Malfoy" the judge began "you may sit" he said simply.

"Arthur says this judge is a keen supporter of The Order of The Phoenix" Molly whispered quietly to Severus.

"Hopefully that will work in our favour" Severus whispered back.

"To begin with I would like to call Severus Tobias Snape to the stand" the judge called and after a small nudge from Molly Severus got to his feet and made his way to the box.

"Professor Snape, is it true you have a developed relationship with young Mr Malfoy?" the judge asked eying Severus curiously.

"I am Draco Malfoy's godfather" Severus stated simply.

"And you've always shared a close relationship?" the judge continued.

Severus nodded "I have always supported Draco from a young age and we have developed a close bond" he said smiling lightly down at Draco for reassurance.

"And you believe you can offer Draco the financial support he still requires?" the judge asked raising a brow.

"I have inherited a small fortune and with my current career I am more than able to provide for Draco" Severus answered simply "but more importantly I can offer him the emotional support he needs and the trusted authority figure and guidance he still looks for"

"I see" the judge said nodding lightly "and it is now public knowledge that you currently have custody of Harry James Potter?" the judge asked.

"That is correct" Severus said simply.

"And do you believe it is appropriate for Mr Potter if you also have custody of Mr Malfoy?" the judge asked curiously.

"The boys are like brothers and it would only be appropriate to keep them together" Severus glared at the mention of Harry.

"I see" the judge said simply "if I could now call upon the Malfoy's lawyer to ask any relevant questions he may have"

Instantly the Malfoy Lawyer, a pureblood named Wilbus Atrix, quickly got to his feet, his robes bellowing behind him as he glided towards Severus.

"Severus Snape" the lawyer stated simply "my client has informed me you were raised in a broken home?" he asked silkily.

Severus looked at Dumbledore who was glaring at the lawyer "yes" Severus finally stuttered taken aback by the question.

"And my client has brought to light that you suffered an abusive past at your fathers hands" Atrix asked again.

"I suppose your client is correct" Severus spat glaring over at Lucius who was smirking lightly.

"So could it be said your upbringing might affect how you would raise a child?" Atrix asked.

Severus raised a brow, even for Lucius this was low "considering I work with children of Draco's age on a daily basis and I am the head of Slytherin House at Hogwarts I think that is concrete proof my past is irrelevant and I am more than capable of looking after Draco"

"But it's an entirely different situation, Severus" Atrix stated.

"But a situation that requires similar experience and its Professor Snape" Severus bit back.

Atrix raised a brow; he had expected the mention of Severus' father to shake the wizard more than it had.

"And if I can expand on that" Severus said looking to the judge for confirmation.

"Go on, Professor Snape" the judge said simply.

"It is no secret that I had a difficult childhood due to my father, a childhood not too different to the one Draco has been subjected to so therefor I understand the specific needs Draco now has to recover from the abuse Lucius has inflicted" Severus spat.

The judge raised a brow but nodded and quickly scribbled something on a piece of parchment "do you have any further questions Mr Atrix?" the judge asked.

"Not for the time being" Atrix threatened before returning to his seat.

"You may return to your seat Severus" the judge stated simply and quickly Severus returned to his seat beside Molly.

"You did well" Dumbledore whispered in the potions masters' ear as he sat down.

Severus nodded lightly but didn't turn around, he looked down at his hands that were shaking lightly and he couldn't tell if it was with anger towards Lucius or the fear of his father.

"If I could now call Lucius Malfoy to the stand" the judge said simply.

Lucius made his way to the stand and Severus quickly noted how Draco looked down and away from his father and he only hoped the judge would notice that.

"So today you want to regain full custody of your son, Mr Malfoy?" the judge asked.

"My son has been brainwashed by a man I considered a friend and I want to bring him home this instance" Lucius snapped as he glared at Severus.

"You considered Severus Snape your friend?" the judge asked.

"I did" Lucius spat.

"And it's no secret you were both supporters of The Dark Lord?" the judge asked.

" _Were_ " Lucius stated simply.

Draco shook his head in disgust as he looked up at his father, yet again the man was going to lie his way out of the destruction he had caused only to come back and do more damage "that's not true!" Draco shouted.

Lucius looked down at his son and was enraged to see the teen staring boldly up at him "Silence, Draco!" he snapped.

Draco flinched at his father's tone and automatically looked away.

"If I may?" Dumbledore asked getting to his feet "the reason Draco Malfoy took shelter at Snape Manor was due to his father trying to force the Dark Mark upon him"

"I did not" Lucius spat.

"You did" Draco interrupted again.

"I do apologise, your honour" Lucius said silkily "my son appears to have forgotten his manners during his time at Snape Manor"

"Your son has learned to stand up for himself and what he believes in" Severus interrupted.

Lucius glared at Severus "besides, you cannot ridicule me on my status when it comes to The Dark Lord as Severus is no different"

"It is common knowledge Severus Snape was a death eater turned spy" Dumbledore added "he fought against Voldemort at the attack at The Burrow unlike Lucius Malfoy who was sent to Azkaban"

"And then released free of charge" Atrix spat.

Dumbledore glared over at the slimy lawyer "after several strings were pulled" he added "the bottom line is Lucius only wants custody of his son to hand him over as a soldier to The Dark Lord"

"You know nothing, old fool" Lucius sneered.

Dumbledore sighed lightly with amusement "may I ask why a child that has already lost one parent would run so desperately from another? You would think a child in Draco's situation would be desperately in need of his father after the loss of his mother, yet Draco seeks his godfathers comfort"

"You're twisting things old man" Lucius hissed.

"You cannot deny I am merely stating fact, your honour" Dumbledore said simply before settling back in his seat.

The judge nodded and again began scribbling notes down onto a piece of parchment.

"Liar!" Lucius shouted.

"You're the liar!" Draco shouted back "and I won't be like you!" he cried out.

"Now now, Draco" Lucius hissed "you know I am not lying"

Draco shook his head frantically "you tried to make me take the Dark Mark"

"I did no such thing" Lucius said calmly.

Draco scoffed lightly "that was why I had to go to Uncle Sevs! To get away from you" he shouted again "and you fought us at The Burrow the day mum died! Stop lying!"

"You're the one lying, son" Lucius said simply.

"He has no proof so can we move on, your honour?" Atrix asked.

Draco glared over at the lawyer "I'll take veritaserum then" he insisted.

Lucius gasped lightly and continued to glare at his son.

"I'll prove you're lying!" Draco shouted "I'm not following in your footsteps!"

"Draco would need a parent's permission to use veritaserum" the judge stated simply.

"Can I?" Draco asked looking over at Severus which caused a few gasps to fill the room.

Lucius eyes flickered with fury as his son looked over at Severus for permission "He is not your father!" Lucius roared.

"Neither are you!" Draco hissed.

"I am your father and there's nothing you can do to change that, boy!" Lucius hissed.

"I'd rather have no father than you!" Draco screamed "and if you have nothing to hide, _father_ , you'll let me take the veritaserum" he sneered.

Lucius scoffed and shook his head "I do not give my son permission"

Dumbledore cleared his throat "currently the Weasley's have custody over Draco so that decision ultimately lies with them" he said simply.

"I give Draco permission to use veritaserum is he feels he requires it" Molly added simply.

With a wave of the judges hand a vial of veritaserum floated towards Draco and without hesitation he drank the contents of the vial and cleared his throat.

"What is your name?" the judge asked eying Draco curiously.

"Draco Lucius Malfoy" Draco said simply.

"Draco, is it true your father wishes for you to become a Death Eater" the judge asked.

"Yes" Draco said simply.

"And is your father still a supporter of The Dark Lord?" the judge continued.

"Yes" Draco repeated "he is a death eater"

Lucius frowned "I object to this nonsense!" he roared "now!" he called.

There was a huge bang from the corridor and Severus gasped instantly realising it was coming from where Harry and Sirius were waiting.

Instantly two men from the back, the two men Severus had noticed before the trial, got to their feet and began firing hexes in all directions and the door swung open as several other men came in and joined the attack.

"Protego" Severus called effectively shielding Draco from a falling pillar.

"Crucio!" Lucius called aiming to hit Severus square in the chest but the curse was deflected by Dumbledore.

Draco scrambled out of the firing line as Lucius and Severus continued to throw hex after hex at each other and he looked around noticing a few robed wizards leaving the room and after hearing one of them mouth 'Potter' he knew Harry was in danger.

After dodging a few more hexes Draco slipped out the same door as the men, knowing he had to find Harry and find him soon.

 **I finally managed to get a chapter up for this story!**

 **I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to post (it's quite literally been months!) Life really hasn't been easy as I've had a lot of bad news to come to terms with so it's been tough.**

 **Anyway….I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I'm already in the process of writing the next bit so it shouldn't take as long this time : )**


	19. Chapter 19 - Why?

Harry watched the clock carefully, the trial had started thirty four minutes ago and he still hadn't heard a sound. He sighed heavily as he turned to face Sirius "how long will it take?" he asked.

"As long as it has to" Sirius responded feeling almost guilty he couldn't give the teen a definite answer.

"I just want them to let Draco come home" Harry replied as he eyed the door curiously.

Sirius flicked the page in the book he was trying to pay attention to "I know"

Harry watched his godfather closely, it was obvious Sirius was growing tired of being kept in the one room, he often struggled to remain still for a long period of time. "I need to use the restroom"

"I don't know where they are" Sirius said putting down the book and taking a proper look around the room, the only door led back out into the corridor.

"There are toilets just down the hallway" Harry said simply "I can go and grab us a coffee from the machine on the way back?" he suggested.

Sirius frowned and Harry's heart sunk, Sirius was never going to let him out and he wouldn't be able to hear what was going on.

"Snape won't want you drinking caffeine" Sirius said simply.

Harry rolled his eyes "a hot chocolate then"

Sirius watched the teen for a moment, he could tell Harry needed out the room for a distraction and how much trouble could he really get into? "you can go but come straight back"

"I will" Harry said grinning.

"And stay away from the trial or you'll be in big trouble" Sirius added.

"I know" Harry replied making his way towards the door.

"Oh and Harry…" Sirius asked catching the teen's attention at the last minute "make mines a hot chocolate" he said simply.

Harry walked down the corridor looking for any sign of a custody battle; he was hoping he'd at least hear a few hexes being thrown to let him work out what room they were in. He sighed heavily, maybe the fact it was quiet meant the trial was going well? But surely Lucius would have kicked off if it hadn't gone his way? Harry swallowed and shook off the nausea he was beginning to feel.

Quickly Harry made his way towards the toilets deciding maybe it was best to listen and stay out the way.

. . .

Sirius dropped the book to the floor, he had completely lost interest in pretending to read his book and restlessly he flopped back on the sofa. "When will this be over?" he groaned to himself. Waiting around was proving boring, especially with a restless teen and lack of entertainment.

Sirius heard a large bang from the hallway and instantly he was on his feet making his way towards the door "Snape's going to kill us, Harry" he mumbled assuming the teen had somehow managed to get into trouble.

Sirius swung the door open and his eyes widened at the two large, cloaked men that both had their wands pointing in his direction.

"Where's Potter?" the taller one demanded, the man was easily four inches taller than Sirius and he didn't look like he was here on a social call. Like the other man, he was wearing sturdy leather boots, thick black combat trousers and long black robes.

"He's not here" Sirius coughed as the smoke from the corridor began to fill the room "who are you and why do you need Harry?" he asked trying to sound as casual as possible.

"We know he is here" the smaller one hissed in a strong French accent.

Sirius shook his head "you can check the room if you must, but Harry is not here" he said simply gesturing them into the room.

"You must think we are stupid!" the French one shouted "crucio" he hissed.

Sirius instantly collapsed to the ground and cried out in pain.

"Tell us where Potter is" the taller one demanded again.

"Do one!" Sirius spat as he gasped his way through the pain.

With three large steps the taller of the two wizards bent down and grabbed Sirius by his hair so their eyes were level "tell me where the boy is or I will kill you" he threatened.

Sirius stared into stone cold eyes flinching lightly at the pain still radiating through his body "that's a predictable threat if ever I've heard one" he hissed.

"Enough!" the taller one spat as he threw Sirius back down onto the ground causing his head to collide with the hard floor.

"Crucio!" the smaller one said again.

Sirius screamed as the curse tore through his body for a second time, he closed his eyes and thought of Harry and then James. He was too late to save James; he had spent many nights alone in Azkaban wondering what he could have done differently, if anything, to save his friend. Images of Harry began to flash through his mind, the boy that was the perfect combination of the two people he had lost that was so unique in his own way. He had to save Harry. Silently he closed his eyes and a few seconds later the curse stopped.

Sirius pulled himself to his feet ignoring the sniggers of both men, silently Sirius wand flew into his hand and he threw a curse at the taller man sending him back into the hallway with a thud as he hit off the wall.

"Crucio"

"Protego!"

There was a series of flashes as both men began to battle with their lives, Sirius threw curse after curse at his opponent but after suffering the crucio curse twice his hands were trembling and he was struggling to hold his wand.

"Crucio maxima!" the man shouted quickly and instantly Sirius was on the ground screaming.

It felt like lava was being pumped through his veins as he was being crushed to death in a vice, Sirius' eyes fluttered as he eyed the Frenchmen one last time.

Sirius gasped for breath as the man turned to leave the room, shakily he pointed his wand towards the man "Stupify" he muttered before everything went black.

. . .

Harry had heard the bang and quickly hid round the corner out of sight, he watched quietly as a robed man left a room with blood on his hands.

Another man left the room opposite and quickly made his way over to the other "did you find Potter?" he asked.

The Frenchman shook his head "no but he is here somewhere"

"Is he dead?" the other man asked nodding towards the taller man, who was still unconscious after being cursed by Sirius.

"No" the other man said simply.

Unsure of what to do Harry looked down at his bracelet 'help' he thought simply but his bracelet only begun to tingle frantically and he could tell something really wasn't right.

"That one put up a fair fight" the Frenchmen muttered as he looked down at Sirius.

Harry adjusted himself to get a better view of the door and he gasped at the sight of his godfather lying unconscious, quickly Harry began to draw his wand but he instantly froze as a hand flew over his mouth and grabbed his arm.

"It's me" a familiar voice whispered.

Harry nodded and didn't protest as the figure behind pulled him into a nearby room and locked the door.

"Draco, what's happening?" Harry asked frantically.

"It's a trap" Draco whispered as he closed all the curtains in the room and turned off the lights.

"I don't understand" Harry replied "they've hurt Sirius"

"They're looking for you" Draco said as he nervously run his fingers through his hair "they're death eaters" he added when he noticed by Harry's blank expression he didn't understand.

Harry gasped "how did they even get in?"

"I think they're new recruits, a few of them even sat in on the trial but nobody batted an eyelid" Draco explained "all the ones in the trial were wearing regular robes and didn't do anything until there was a bang further down the hall, then they all started firing hexes at people.

"Severus" Harry gasped.

"When I left he was duelling with my dad" Draco said unable to hide the fear in his voice "I snuck out to find you because Mrs Weasley said you were here with Sirius"

Harry nodded slowly taking in what Draco had said "we need to help Sirius"

Draco shook his head "you have to hide"

"We have to fight!" Harry insisted "I can't let him die because of me"

"No, Harry, no" Draco said shaking his head even more fiercely "there are lots of them"

"That's even more reason to fight!" Harry half shouted.

"I don't want you to get hurt" Draco said, his voice cracking lightly.

Harry shook his head "I won't get hurt"

"Last time you got stabbed" Draco reminded him "you stay here and I'll fight"

Harry rolled his eyes "come on, we're going together"

Quietly Draco and Harry made their way back towards the court room but surprisingly they were met by silence.

"I'm going to check on Sirius" Harry whispered.

"This is a terrible idea" Draco hissed.

Both the boys eyes widened when the turned the corner and the cloaked Frenchmen was standing watching them with a grin.

"We knew you would appear eventually, Potter" he grinned.

Harry clenched his fists but before he could cast a spell his was flew from his hand and he was grabbed from behind.

"No!" Harry called out "let me go!"

"Harry!" Draco called and without thinking Draco ran after Harry as he was led into the same room Sirius was in.

There was a small thud as Harry was thrown to the ground with force.

"Sirius!" Harry winced as he ignored the pain in his ribs scrambled over to Sirius who was beginning to wake up.

At the sound of Harry's voice Sirius knew it was now or never, he dragged himself to his feet and stood protectively in front of the two teens.

"Dad?" Draco gasped as Lucius came into the room.

Lucius ignored Draco completely and made his way over to the Frenchmen "we best be leaving with Potter" he said simply.

"Expelliarmus!" Sirius screamed at the mention of Harry knocking Lucius' wand to the ground. After hexing Lucius to the ground in crippling pain, Sirius flicked his arm lightly knocking the wand from the Frenchman's hand before sending him with force into the brick wall.

"Get Potter!" another man shouted and four more robed men made their way into the room.

Sirius began firing hexes in their direction and he couldn't deny he was relieved when Draco and Harry joined in.

"Crucio" one of them screamed, this time the curse hit Sirius just below the chest and almost instantly he crumpled to the ground completely unconscious.

The one remaining death eater quickly knocked Draco's wand from his hand and secured the teen in a body binding curse before moving in on Harry.

"Expelliarmus" he hissed causing Harry's wand to fly from his hand once more.

The man launched at Harry and grabbed him forcefully, without thinking Harry bit into the man's hand and almost instantly the man dropped him and screamed out in pain dropping his wand in the process.

Harry scrambled out of reach as both he and his opponent retrieved their wands once more.

"Petrificus tortalus" Harry called out effectively stopping the man from chasing him.

After freeing Draco both boys fled the room in search of help but they were surprised with silence.

"It's too quiet" Harry whispered to Draco as he looked around with his wand raised.

"Stop!" a man shouted causing them both to freeze "oh, there you are, Harry!" the man smiled as he sighed with relief.

Harry pointed his wand at the man "don't come any closer!"

"Harry!" the man gasped, sounding almost offended.

Draco quickly pushed Harry's hand down "he works for the ministry security"

"Sorry" Harry muttered still holding his wand tight "where's Severus?"

"Harry" Severus gasped as he clambered towards the entrance holding onto the door for support.

Harry's eyed widened as he looked at Severus, his head was cut and his face was bruised "dad" he gasped before running into Severus arms.

"It's okay, you're safe" Severus soothed as he ignored the pain in his head.

"We have to get you home" Severus said quickly as he looked around the room.

Various ministry officials and a team of aurors had swarmed the site and although Severus knew the death eaters had lost he couldn't help but feel anxious that the boys were so close to such dangerous individuals.

Harry turned around to see Sirius lying motionless on the floor, the man was bleeding from his nose and head and his body was shaking violently.

"Sirius!" Harry screamed before scrambling over to his godfather.

Severus watched as Harry shook Sirius lightly to try and waken the man and his throat tightened slightly.

"Please wake up" Harry whispered "I need you" he said blinking a few stray tears from his eyes

"I'm not going anywhere, kiddo" Sirius whispered, although he didn't open his eyes he was smiling lightly.

Harry nodded "you'll be okay"

"Hang in there, Black, we'll get you healed" Severus added reassuringly.

"Mhmm" Sirius mumbled as he fell in and out of consciousness.

Dumbledore appeared looking absolutely furious "that was definitely a bold attack but the ministry should quickly have the situation resolved" he said simply "Severus, I think you should take Harry home"

"What about Draco?" Harry added "did we not win?" he barely whispered too scared to find out the answer.

"The judge didn't get the chance to come to a conclusion" Dumbledore said simply "for now take Draco too, Severus" he ordered and Severus nodded lightly.

"Yes, headmaster" Severus said simply as he pulled Harry to his feet.

Harry shook his head "I want to be with Sirius"

Severus sighed heavily "he'll be in the best hands and I promise we can see him soon"

. . .

With a bang Severus and the boys arrived back at Snape Manor and for a minute they all stood in silence finally taking in the events of what had just happened.

Draco practically threw himself onto the couch holding his head in his hands, he could feel his leg bouncing up and down with a mixture of anxiety and adrenaline but he did nothing to stop it.

"Are either of you hurt?" Severus asked breaking the silence.

Draco shook his head but he didn't speak, instead he sat on the sofa and continued to stare into space.

"Harry?" Severus asked.

Harry nodded lightly and blinked a few stray tears from his eyes but he didn't speak.

Severus sighed and made his way over to the teen "you have to tell me what hurts" he said softly as he cupped the teens chin.

Without thinking Harry threw his arms around Severus, crying lightly into his guardians chest "Sirius is hurt because of me" he mumbled softly.

"That's not true" Severus said sternly.

Severus felt Harry nod into his chest and the teen mumbled something inaudible before breaking into more sobs.

"Harry, you have to speak to me, not my shirt" Severus said softly.

Harry pulled away from Severus slightly and looked into his guardians' eyes; he was almost surprised to see Severus was watching him patiently considering all that was going on "people die because of me"

"Harry, you know that's not true" Severus said shaking his head "you've never once asked for any of this so don't blame yourself"

Harry shrugged lightly brushing away a few tears.

"Now are you injured?" Severus asked once more.

Harry nodded lightly "my ribs hurt, but it's nothing I can't handle"

Severus sighed before leading the teen into the kitchen "up" he said simply and Harry obediently hopped onto the counter.

"Shouldn't we be making sure everybody else is okay? Where is Mrs Weasley?" Harry asked cautiously.

Severus ignored the teen for a moment looking for various potions "Mrs Weasley is fine and right now you are my priority" he said simply "now what hurts?" he asked again.

"Just my ribs and my arm from when I fell" Harry said holding out his wrist.

With a flick of Severus wand Harry's shirt was off and the teen was shivering lightly.

Harry watched as Severus muttered random words and ran his wand over the teen.

"I need to feel for broken ribs, it might hurt" Severus said simply.

"Okay" Harry sighed.

Harry flinched lightly as Severus prodded at his ribs but he didn't say anything, his mind once more had turned to Sirius and how wounded the man looked.

"You're just bruised, luckily nothing is broken" Severus said as he began rummaging around for a pain relief potion.

"Thanks" Harry said as he downed the potion in one, only scrunching up his face slightly.

Harry watched curiously as Severus took out another vial and drank it in only a few gulps "what's that one for?" he asked curiously.

"A calming draught" Severus said simply "you need one too" he said simply as he passed the teen a matching vial.

After feeling reassured the teen was okay Severus applied some bruising balm to Harry's ribs before checking over his wrist.

"Can I get down now?" Harry asked simply feeling slightly stupid as he sat patiently on the counter whilst Severus tidied up.

"Yes, just be careful" Severus said.

"Hello, Severus" Molly said simply as she entered the kitchen.

"Mrs Weasley!" Harry smiled with relief.

"Molly" Severus said simply as she embraced Harry in a warm hug.

"The aurors have managed to capture the majority of the death eaters although Lucius Malfoy has managed to escape.

Severus scoffed "he won't have gone far" he said simply, "was there any mention of what was to happen to Draco?" he asked curiously.

Molly shook her head "Albus has gone to find out"

"Sirius?" Severus asked cautiously aware that Harry was listening.

"Stable" Molly said simply with a small, but forced smile.

Feeling slightly more content that Sirius was going to be okay Harry made his way back to where Draco was hoping to give the teen some hope with the fact Dumbledore was still working on his case.

"Draco?" Harry called out.

Harry frowned to find the living room was completely empty.

"Dad" Harry called out and almost instantly Severus and Molly where by his side "where's Draco?"

Severus frowned lightly "probably upstairs" he said simply.

"Severus…" Molly barely whispered as she pointed towards the floo.

Severus frowned and suddenly his eyes locked on the floo, there was fresh floo powder on the floor and the flames were burning a bright, fresh shade of green.

. . .

Draco wasn't surprised that the Malfoy Manor floo still allowed him access, especially from Snape Manor. Although he was surprised at how cold the manor was, it had never been a homely place but now it seemed worse than before, like part of the manor had died with his mother.

Wrapping his jacket tightly around himself Draco made his way towards the living room, listening as every footstep echoed around the stone halls.

Draco stopped for a moment outside the door to the dining room and he could almost hear his mother's voice from the other end of it, telling him to hurry up and put his broom away before dinner.

Sighing heavily Draco continued towards the living room until he was finally stood outside the door. Slowly he opened the door and was hit by a slight heat coming from the lit fire.

Draco's eyes instantly landed on the open bottle of firewhisky that was sitting in the middle of the table before looking up to meet his father's gaze.

"Ah, Draco" Lucius smiled smugly.

"Father" Draco replied simply.

 **Aaaaaand here's another chapter! What's Draco playing at?**

 **Hopefully there will be an update soon : )**


	20. Chapter 20 - Home

Lucius continued to stare at Draco in complete silence, although a word hadn't been said in what seemed like an eternity Lucius could see the tension radiating in his sons shoulders.

"Is there a reason for your abrupt arrival?" Lucius finally asked, raising a brow at his son.

Draco frowned and took a breath to compose himself, he tried to ignore the familiar twitch in his father's hand but the familiar motion only made him feel sick at what it meant.

"The trial was never about me, was it?" Draco finally asked, although he met Lucius' gaze he was met with empty eyes.

Lucius scoffed "doesn't that suit you perfectly, _son_?"

"Ideally I wish my mother was alive and my father wasn't a. . ." Draco stopped himself as Lucius began to laugh.

"She's dead because of you, son" Lucius replied waving his hand dismissively.

Draco shook his head and watched as his father got to his feet and made his way closer to Draco.

Draco instantly flinched but Lucius only walked past him and began to stare at the portrait of Narcissa on the wall.

"That's not true" Draco whispered as he took a breath to compose himself.

"She is dead because of you" Lucius repeated as he continued to stare up at the portrait.

"She's dead because of Voldemort-" Draco began but there was a small gasp as the back of Lucius hand swiped him clean across the face.

" _The Dark Lord_ does what he feels is necessary and he felt it necessary because of you" Lucius spat.

Draco held his face as his eyes met his father's once more.

"Of course the trial wasn't about you" Lucius said silkily as he returned to his armchair "you have made your side clear so you are no good to me"

"How did you know that Harry would be there?" Draco asked simply.

Lucius laughed lightly "the golden boy was always going to get what he wanted and he was going to want to be wherever you and Snape were"

"He's not some spoiled brat!" Draco snapped defensively.

"Not like you, you mean?" Lucius hissed.

Draco shook his head but didn't reply.

"Nothing to add, Draco?" Lucius asked as he sipped his whisky.

"I hate you" Draco muttered as he looked up at his father.

Again Lucius was on his feet and he lunged at Draco.

Draco gasped for breath as Lucius lifted him clean off the floor by his collar and pinned him against the wall.

"Get off" Draco gasped.

"How dare you disrespect me in my own home!" Lucius shouted.

"Get off!" Draco screamed.

Lucius held out his hand "accio belt"

"No!" Draco cried out as he desperately tried to escape his father's grasp.

With a thud Draco hit the stone floor and he gasped as the belt bit the back of his legs. Draco kicked out frantically to avoid the continuous blows but he missed continuously.

"You should have died that day with your mother" Lucius hissed as he towered over the now shaking boy on the floor.

Draco closed his eyes as the belt was thrown into the air once more.

"Don't you even think about it" a deadly voice threatened from the doorway.

Draco flinched at the sound of the belt landing on the floor next to him and instinctively he curled in on himself.

"Get out, Snape" Lucius spat.

In a few long strides Snape had moved across the room till he was face to face with the senior Malfoy.

Lucius looked down at the wand clenched in the former death eaters hand and he sniggered "you won't use that against me, Severus" he said silkily.

Draco flinched at the audible crack and he felt the impact of another body hitting the floor. He opened his eyes to see Snape towering over his father; Lucius was holding the side of his face looking completely shocked.

"If you ever lay a finger on Draco again I will kill you" Severus growled pointing his wand down at the fallen Malfoy.

"That's enough, Severus" Dumbledore said softly, with a flick of his wand Lucius was bound in thick black ropes "leave him to the aurors"

Almost instantly Severus took his eyes off Lucius and moved towards Draco who was still on the floor, "Draco?" asked said softly.

Draco only continued to sniffle lightly.

"Can you open your eyes?" Severus asked as he ran his fingers gently through the teen's hair.

After a few seconds Draco opened his eyes and looked up at his godfather "I'm sorry, Uncle Sev" he whispered.

Severus nodded, Draco's impulsive decision to visit Malfoy Manor was a discussion they would be having at a later date but right now he needed to make sure he was okay "let's get you home"

Draco flinched lightly as Severus helped him to his feet but he didn't protest as he was led towards the floo. Although Draco didn't look back at his father he glanced up briefly at the portrait of his mother hoping that wherever she was, she was watching over him.

. . .

"Draco!" Harry called as Severus and Draco stepped through the floo at Snape Manor.

Silently Severus signalled to Molly to keep Harry out the way as he led Draco upstairs and into the teen's bedroom, he heard Harry protest and sigh before dropping onto the couch.

Draco sat on the bed still shaking as Severus left the room for a brief moment before returning with a case of various potions and salves.

"You have to tell me what happened" Severus said softly as he kneeled in front of the teen.

Draco shrugged "I just wanted to understand" he said simply.

"Understand what?" Severus prompted.

Draco shrugged and sighed heavily "I wanted to know if it really was just a plan to trap Harry" he said wiping away a stray tear "he used me to get to Harry"

Severus sighed "I know he did" he said simply.

"I wanted him to know how much I hate him" Draco muttered.

Severus sighed heavily "we'll have this discussion at a later date" he said simply "how hurt are you?" he asked.

"Not bad, I'll be fine" Draco said simply.

Severus gently lifted the teens head so their eyes met "I'm not going to let you be in pain when I can prevent it" he said simply, although knowing he could only heal the physical pain with potions left him feeling more than helpless.

"He hit me across the face" Draco muttered.

Severus turned his head to the side and he sighed at the bruise that was already forming, gently he applied the bruising balm as the room fell to silence.

Draco watched as Severus screwed the lid back onto the bruising balm and placed it back in the case.

"I'll need to make sure he's not left any injuries with the belt" Severus said softly.

Draco shook his head "they don't hurt" he said simply.

"You flinched when you sat down" Severus said simply "if you let me check what type of wounds they are I can give you the correct salve or potion and you can apply it while I collect more potions and return this case" he suggested.

Draco nodded and with a small sigh he got to his feet.

After giving Draco instructions on how to apply the salve Severus made his way towards his potions lab.

"Is he okay?" Molly asked catching Severus completely off guard.

Severus frowned "where's Harry?" he asked.

"Outside with Remus" Molly said simply and she didn't miss the faint smile on Severus' face.

"He's hurt but they're injuries I can have healed by this time tomorrow" Severus said simply "I'm more worried for his emotional state"

"Do you want me to speak to him?" Molly asked.

"Once I've given him his potions that might be a good idea" Severus said simply "I'm going to take these up, you should come" he offered and he was grateful when Molly nodded.

Severus gently knocked the bedroom door and after a few seconds Draco called for him to come in. He was happy to see the teen had already tucked himself into bed and seemed happy enough to rest.

"Did you manage?" Severus asked and Draco nodded lightly "I'll need to check again tomorrow"

"Hello, Mrs Weasley" Draco smiled already forgetting about the newly inflicted wounds.

Molly sat on the edge of the bed and gave Draco's hand a tight squeeze "I have no idea what you were thinking" she sighed.

"I don't know" Draco shrugged "I was just so mad"

"Draco, Severus loves you dearly" Molly began locking eyes with the teen "as do I, so if you ever need to talk or you want to know anything please come to one of us"

"I know I should have" Draco sighed.

"I know, sweetie" Molly said softly as she moved his fringe from his eyes.

Severus held out the first vial for Draco to take "pain relief" he said simply.

"Oh no" Draco muttered, he held his nose and he quickly downed the contents of the vial.

Draco almost rolled his eyes as Severus held out another vial for him to drink "what's this one?"

"Dreamless sleep" Severus said simply.

Draco shook his head "I don't need this"

"You do" Severus said softly as he passed the vial to Draco.

After Draco had downed the second vial he sunk back into the pillows listening as Molly told him one of the twins' latest pranks on Percy.

Draco looked up drowsily at Severus "'m sorry I put myself in danger" he mumbled before closing his eyes and falling into a peaceful sleep.

There was a small bang and a squeal from the kitchen and Severus rolled his eyes "these two are aging me by the day" he muttered to Molly as the quietly left the room to see what trouble Harry had gotten into with Remus.

. . .

The next day Draco woke with a stir and groggily he opened his eyes, surprisingly he wasn't in much pain.

"Hey" a voice said softly.

"Harry" Draco smiled.

"Guess what?" Harry said, he was grinning lightly and Draco rolled his eyes.

"We've adopted a pet dragon?" Draco teased.

Harry shook his head "Severus got custody" he grinned "Dumbledore came round last night but you were asleep"

Draco's eyes widened "so I get to stay?" he gasped.

"For good" Harry grinned as his eyes twinkled with excitement.

Draco returned Harry's grin "now we can focus on quidditch"

"And schoolwork" Severus added catching them both off guard as he entered with more potions.

Harry didn't fail to notice Draco's face had dropped at the mention of going back to school.

"I feel fine today, Uncle Sev" Draco said simply as he sat up with barely any pain.

"Well you'll feel even better after a few more potions" Severus said simply as he passed Draco another pain relief potion and the same tub from yesterday

Severus patted Harry lightly on the shoulder "let's let Draco get ready while you walk Cody" he said simply.

"Okay" Harry said as he got off the bed and made his way towards the door.

Draco frowned realising Harry was already dressed "what times it?" he asked.

"Half past eleven" Severus said simply "we thought you needed a bit of a lie in" he smiled simply and to his surprise Draco didn't protest.

"Can I have pancakes?" Draco asked simply.

Severus heard a small pop from downstairs and he rolled his eyes "I think Dolly is already on the case" he said simply as he got off the bed "if you need help just call" he said as he closed the door gently.

. . .

After finishing his pancakes and a stern talking to about taking it easy, Draco had run off to find Harry. The boys had only been gone for an hour and Severus was lost for what to do with himself, he was back in an empty house again and it made him feel smaller by the second.

He had a moment of panic that he had imagined the entire thing and he had spent his summer alone, after seeing the belt marks on Draco's body he also couldn't shake the thoughts of his old bedroom and his father and although he couldn't explain why he needed to see the room.

After a moment's thought made his way to the third floor of the manor, it looked a lot more dated than the other floors; he didn't like anyone coming up here so he never bothered with keeping it modern. He walked down two hallways and finally reached a door at the very end of the second one. He put his hand on the door knob and inhaled deeply before forcing the door open, the familiar creek of the door sent shivers down his spine. He was going to put this nightmare to bed so he could move on and enjoy his life.

The room was a lot colder than the rest of the house; he took two steps in and took in the sight of the old wooden bed frame and the chest of drawers. He could already hear his own screams echoing off the walls but he walked further into the room turning on the light. The house elves had still kept it remarkably clean. He looked around at how bare the room was, it still had a few textbooks and pictures placed on the set of drawers.

The familiar crack in the window was still letting in a small breeze that chilled his spine, he drew his wand to fix the crack but couldn't bring himself to do it, instead he sighed deeply and looked out the window at the view; it looked different now, almost like a dark cloud had finally lifted from the manor.

He caught sight of the boys running by; Harry was chasing Cody who had a ball in his mouth and Draco was waving his arms in frustration; he was clearly unable to keep up and had grown bored of the game.

'So much for taking it easy' Severus thought to himself as he laughed lightly as the lanky blonde teen dropped to the ground in a strop and crossed his arms. _What am I doing sitting in this old room when I could be outside having fun with my kids?_

A new feeling began to overwhelm Severus' entire body and he gasped. He felt physically lighter and warmer and he couldn't work out what it was but suddenly he didn't feel as trapped by the pain anymore. He could tell by the tightness in his chest and his skins uncomfortable tingle that he was still severely uncomfortable in his own skin and in this room but that didn't matter anymore, _it was in the past and it was time to move on_.

He looked back at the bed and for the first time he didn't feel weak, he felt strong. Another laugh from the boys outside sent a warm tingle through his body. He looked at the photo on the shelf; it was a photo of him and both his parents, Severus looked into his younger, fearful eyes and sighed before his eyes moved to his father's stern glare and for a second he held his breath.

"You don't get to control me anymore" he said quietly "I have a family now and even in death you have nobody" he said putting the photo back down before moving back to the window , he muttered a few words and the crack in the glass fixed. He smiled down once more at the teenage boys running around outside, _is this what moving on feels like?_ He quickly left the room closing the door behind him and made his way downstairs.

Harry noticed Severus walking towards them both "Catch!" he shouted kicking the ball towards him but Severus immediately ducked out the way as the ball flew past him. "Dad you're meant to pass it back!" he shouted and ran to get the football.

"You kicked an object at my face what do you expect me to do" he said waving his hands in defeat.

"It's a football…and you're supposed to head but it?" Harry said sarcastically passing it to Draco who kicked the ball up and down with his foot; Draco was a natural at football and quite happy to show off his newly discovered talent.

"And if it's a football why am I using my head?" Severus asked confused by Harry's eye roll.

"You don't know how to play football?" Harry asked simply.

Severus returned his eye roll "do I look like the type of person to play football?" he asked sarcastically.

Harry shrugged his shoulders "good point"

The three of them stayed out all afternoon while Harry taught them both the rules of football, Draco took to it naturally and was dribbling the ball past Severus who couldn't manage to kick it without tripping over it and cursing at it.

Harry and Draco played one on one with Severus in goals although he tended to run away from the ball more than actually catch it. Draco scored goal after goal and Harry barely got a touch of the ball; he never had been very good at football.

"I bet you are terrible at quidditch" Draco laughed and Severus scowled at him.

"I am not!" Severus said picking up the football and throwing it at Draco's head. Draco head-butted it back and Severus jumped out the way, they both laughed jokingly as Severus ran to get the ball.

. . .

That night Severus left his study at just after 11, he had finished working on the lesson plans and was academically prepared for another year of students trying to blow up the dungeon. He stuck his head into Harry's room and the boy was fast asleep peacefully curled up into a little ball with Cody at the foot of his bed, he carefully pulled Harry's covers up further in case he got cold before leaving the door open slightly. Draco was also completely passed out; showing off his new talent had left the boy exhausted.

Once Severus entered his own room he collapsed into his own bed expecting the dark thoughts to take over his mind and he began to wonder when Albus would appear, to his surprise the thoughts never came. He fell into peaceful sleep thinking about how he was going to spend the last few days enjoying every second with his boys.

. . .

A few days later it was early evening and Harry was dragging his trunk downstairs and into the entrance hall, it was a lot heavier than the previous years as Severus had made sure he was well equipped. "Dad, help" he shouted when he couldn't move the case any further. Severus appeared and lifted the case easily down the final few steps and left it sitting by the front door.

It had been a relaxed final day at home; Harry had spent the early afternoon with Sirius, who was almost fully healed, and Draco had spent some quality time with Severus.

"Draco, have you started packing yet?" Severus shouted up.

"No!" Draco shouted back and Severus rolled his eyes.

"If you're not packed in the next 20 minutes I'll be taking your broom" Severus threatened.

"Fine!" Draco mumbled and they could both hear the bangs of the drawers opening and closing.

"Is he that worried about going back?" Harry asked and Severus nodded.

"All his friends are the children of death eaters or pure bloods at the very least, it's not going to be easy for him to slot back in" Severus explained.

"He always has my friends" Harry said confused; he was expecting Draco to hang around with him most of the time and his heart shrunk when he remembered Draco would be at the other end of the castle in the dungeon.

"Make sure he knows he has your friends" Severus said softly and Harry nodded.

Draco stomped down the stairs dragging his trunk behind him and placed it beside Harry's and Severus' before stomping into the living room and sitting on the sofa.

Harry followed him in and they both sat on opposite ends of the large sofa. Harry could already feel how tired he was but he was buzzing with excitement to get back to Hogwarts. "It will we okay, Draco" he said reassuringly and he was surprised when the blonde offered him a small smile.

Severus entered a few minutes later with three giant mugs of hot chocolate.

"I'm going to miss these kinds of nights" Draco said sipping the hot drink and instantly feeling warmer.

"You can always come down to my quarters and have one" Severus offered and they both smiled. The sun quickly began to set outside as they all curled up on the sofa together with Cody at their feet while they read a book.

Severus knew he had to savour these final moments because soon they were going back to Hogwarts and the chaos would surely start all over again, but for once he felt ready for it.

 **Aaaaand it's time to go back to school!**

 **I'm acting in a show for the next week or so and RL is still tough but there should be a chapter up in the next few weeks when things (hopefully) chill out a bit!**

 **Until then, I hope you're all well!**


	21. Chapter 21 - Back to Hogwarts

Snape, Harry and Draco arrived at Kings Cross Station with mixed emotions.

"And you definitely have everything you need? Because there's time to go back" Severus asked but both boys rolled their eyes; he had asked them four times already. Severus couldn't help the feeling of uncertainty about dropping them off for the first time; it almost felt like he was giving them away "and you'll be okay?" he asked.

"Dad chill, we do this every year remember?" Harry said and Severus smiled.

"I know but this is new for me" Severus finally said, running his fingers through his hair uncomfortably "I've never left you anywhere before" he said shrugging in defeat.

"Uncle Sev, have you completely forgotten you work at the school we attend?" Draco asked sarcastically rolling his eyes and strolling ahead.

Severus smiled at the ever-sassy blonde. Okay, I'll shut up" he finally mumbled to himself in defeat as the two boys sped ahead.

They quickly made their way to the wall pushing two large trolleys and Harry could feel himself getting more and more excited; he loved the train to Hogwarts, everyone was always so eager and the new school year always brought hope.

"Do you want me to come onto the platform?" Severus asked hopefully.

"Do you want to?" Harry asked awkwardly.

Severus shrugged; he knew a lot of other parents would have gone through to wave off their kids and he wanted to do the same but he didn't want to embarrass them.

"You don't have to if it's going to be awkward" Harry said offering him a small smile but Severus frowned; Harry had never had anybody of his own properly wave him off before and he wanted to.

"I want to" Severus said and with a quick run they made their way to platform 9 ¾.

Harry instantly gasped in excitement at the gigantic steam train that was gently puffing steam into the air, he almost didn't notice all the strange looks they were receiving.

"Is that Professor Snape?" a fourth year boy asked before running over to his friends to alert them of the unusual sight, Severus instantly shot them a hostile glare and they all looked away.

"Why is Snape here? Is it because of you-know-who?" somebody else asked.

Severus rolled his eyes deciding it was better to stay composed and ignore the stupid questions.

"Harry!" Hermione shouted before grabbing her parents and running up and hugging him tightly, he returned her hug "I've missed you" she said excitedly looking at him from arms-length.

"You saw me last week" Harry laughed.

Hermione nodded and offered Harry a small shrug; she knew this but she couldn't help but get excited at seeing her friend so fresh and happy.

"I did miss you though!" Harry grinned excitedly before gripping Ron in a similar overly dramatic hug. Molly and Severus rolled their eyes; they had only seen each other a few days ago.

"Hello Harry!" The Weasley twins said before pinching him and roughing up his hair as he laughed.

"Professor Snape, did you miss us?" George said smiling jokingly and Severus rolled his eyes.

"No" Severus finally said in his deadliest tones but the twins didn't seem phased.

"Hello, Harry, it's nice to see you" Hermione's mum said wrapping Harry in a quick hug. "Professor Snape, it's nice to meet you" she said holding out her hand and Severus shook it instantly "I've heard a lot about you"

"All bad I presume?" Severus asked and she smiled sympathetically "And please call me Severus" he said returning her smile.

Severus quickly glanced over to see what Draco was doing and noticed he was in a heated debate with Crabbe and Goyle, the larger boy pushed him and he looked at them with a look of hurt and confusion, they both walked away and left him standing alone.

"Will he be okay?" Hermione asked noticing what had happened.

Harry shrugged "I don't know" he sighed gesturing Draco to come back over and luckily he did. Severus also offered him a supportive smile and he nodded understanding Severus was there if he needed him.

"You okay?" Severus whispered and Draco nodded, he could tell by the boy's face he wanted to let it go for now so Severus silently obliged.

The big hand on the clocked moved another minute closer to the hour and all the students began boarding the train waving goodbye to their families.

"I'll write to you" Hermione said with a tear in her eyes as she hugged her parents, she quickly shook it off and boarded the train before she got any more emotional.

"Now remember you all have to behave and look after Ginny" Molly ordered the redhead boys who all nodded in sync "also remember to write to your old mum every once in a while because it's nice to know you're alive and please don't do anything stupid" she said before wrapping them all in a warm hug, she could feel herself getting emotional and she couldn't help but laugh at herself knowing she should be used to this by now.

Harry watched as his friends emotionally said goodbye to their parents and he couldn't help but feel relieved and lucky that he would only have to wait a few hours to see his again. He quickly boarded the train with Draco by his side and they all waved goodbye from the window.

Severus heart warmed at how happy and free both boys looked. Ron stuck his head out and rolled his eyes as his mother wiped a small tear from her eyes as they moved further away from the platform. They all sat down in a small compartment and settled into the long train journey.

"That was tough" Severus sighed and Molly laughed lightly as they turned and left the platform.

. . .

After what seemed like an eternity they finally arrived at Hogwarts and entered the great hall and after settling in they took their seats in preparation for their first meal. The hall was alive with the noise of students catching up.

The Ravenclaw students were particularly excited over a new experiment they were all working on but the most noise in the hall was coming from the Gryffindor table; it was booming with excitement as Fred and George Weasley revealed a new practical joke they were forming – a potion to turn hair invisible.

Harry looked up at the table to see where Severus was and he was sitting next to Dumbledore deep in conversation whilst occasionally scowling at the Gryffindor table, every time he did so Neville would look away and Harry would have to fight not to laugh. Harry hadn't seen Severus at all since they arrived; he had gone straight to settling in first year Slytherins and staying by Dumbledore's side but Harry didn't mind. He quickly made a mental note that he still had to tell Neville about Severus and he was already worried how his overly sensitive friend would react.

Dumbledore finally rose to greet the students. "Hello students!" He said excitedly and everyone cheered "to our new students welcome and to returning students welcome back!" he continued "I'll keep this simple, I hope you have the most magical year at Hogwarts and my door is always open if you need me, work hard and you will see results" he said simply with a warm smile "you will notice a slight change amongst the staff as we have appointed a new defence against the dark arts professor" he said excitedly clasping his arms together "Alastor Moody".

A man stomped up beside Dumbledore slightly swaying with a flask in his hand "is he drunk?" Ron whispered to Harry who shrugged.

"He's an auror so she shouldn't be" Hermione whispered, Harry had to fight a smile at her disgusted tone. He shook Dumbledore's hand and they hugged briefly before the man stomped back to his seat without saying anything.

As the meal continued they quickly forgot about their new, slightly strange professor as the twins had managed to spike Neville with the new potion when he wasn't looking and the hall erupted into laughter.

"Oh come on!" Neville shouted out "we've not even been back a day" he sighed sinking into his seat in defeat.

"It's harmless fun, Neville" Fred said and with a flick of his wand the distressed boy's hair came back, he glared at them and left the hall along with a few other Gryffindor students.

Harry looked up to see what Severus was doing again but was surprised to see he had already left, it was weird having his dad so close but him already feeling so far away and for the first time ever at Hogwarts he felt alone.

. . .

Later that night Ron, Harry, Neville, Dean and Seamus sat on their beds chatting about their summers. Neville had spent most of it bored witless with his Gran while she knitted and watched day time TV; he was more than happy to be back with people his own age.

Harry was ecstatic for once he could talk happily about his summer, although it had a few bumps he still considered it to be the best summer ever and he was able to join in on conversation and not need to be caught up like normal.

"Neville I have some news" Harry said cautiously as Neville watched him warily.

"Is it you-know-who?" Neville gasped "we're in danger aren't we?"

"No it's not him" Harry said with a scowl "I have a new guardian" he said unsure about how to word what he was trying to say.

"What do you mean?" Neville asked raising a brow.

"I don't live with my uncle anymore…" Harry said with a sigh; it was hard to talk about the Dursley's in a bad light now Vernon was dead and the room fell to silence.

"Why not?" Neville prodded.

"They were abusive so the Hogwarts professors stepped in" Harry said tiptoeing around the point. "So I now have a new home and a new family…"

"He's living with Snape" Ron finished and Harry shot a glare at him "you were taking forever, Harry, by the time you got to the point we would be graduating" he said rolling his eyes and Harry laughed lightly.

Harry and Ron turned back to Neville to see a look of horror and disbelief plastered across the boy's face.

"This is a prank" Neville said shaking his head "I'm not falling for anymore tricks" he said crossing his arms and giving them a stern look, Ron instantly rolled his eyes.

"They're not lying" Seamus said piping up from the opposite side of the room "we went over for Harry's birthday and he does live with Snape and Draco" he said but Neville was becoming less and less convinced; _Snape let the students in his house? As if Draco and Harry living together? As if._

"Draco? Now you're being ridiculous I don't believe a word you're saying" Neville snapped.

"I'll go get him if you want" Harry said but then he frowned, he hadn't actually been shown Severus' private quarters yet so he didn't know where they were.

"F-fine" Neville stuttered "get him" he ordered nervously and Harry nodded.

"I don't know where his quarters are" Harry admitted slightly embarrassed after a moment of silence.

"Really, Harry?" Ron asked slightly shocked.

"We've only been here five minutes I've not seen him yet" Harry reminded Ron who nodded; _he had been with Harry the entire time._

"I can ask him to come using this" Harry said showing them the bracelet "it's charmed to send him messages on the tag" he explained and Neville rolled his eyes becoming less and less convinced.

"How do I know it's not another Fred and George trick?" Neville asked and Harry sighed.

"Just watch, Neville" Harry said simply.

"What are you going to say to him, Harry?" Ron asked "my friends don't believe you adopted me come here and prove it?" Ron asked raising an eyebrow and Harry frowned not really sure what to say.

"I'll just ask him to come say goodnight" Harry shrugged as he put his thumb on the tag 'can you come and say goodnight?' he thought in his head and waited for he bracelet to reply. "Now we just have to wait until he replies" Harry said and they all nodded.

"This is stupid" Neville sighed, unable to keep the fear of Snape from his voice.

A few moments later Harry's bracelet tingled and he looked down instantly disappointed at the message he received "In a meeting with Dumbledore, will pop up later if it doesn't get too late" he read out loud, Neville grabbed his hand to read the tag and frowned.

"'Will pop up'? That's the most un-snapey thing I've ever heard, you're lying" Neville said crossing his arms.

Harry rolled his eyes, after the potion in the great hall Neville was going to take a lot of convincing. Harry also felt his heart sink a little bit, it was the first day back and already Severus was too busy for him? He shook the thought from his head not wanting to seem like a needy brat.

They all settled down into their bed and listened to Ron as he told them in detail the story of how the twins turned Percy into a donkey, Harry had already heard it but was more than happy to listen to it again. Dean quickly took out a bag of muggle sweets he had snuck in and passed them around the group as the conversation slowly turned to homework or more so who hadn't done it.

There was a knock at the door and all five boys turned their heads to see who it was. Severus entered and instantly Neville's eyes grew wide. "You wanted me, Harry?" Severus asked simply and Harry smirked at Neville whose bottom lip was trembling in shock.

"I just wanted to say goodnight" Harry said simply and Severus smiled lightly.

"Goodnight, Harry" Severus said simply before closing the door quietly. Harry's heart sunk; he was hoping his dad would have stayed for a little bit longer.

Neville's eyes grew wide with fear and shock. "Y-you weren't lying" he gasped shaking his head; he truly did fear Snape and that was something Harry planned on changing.

"You don't need to fear him, Neville, he's harmless" Harry said before turning around and curling into a ball, why did Severus feel so far away?

"And…and Draco?" Neville asked cautiously.

"He's not that bad" Ron said dismissively.

Neville inhaled sharply "the worlds gone mad" he muttered to himself causing all the other boys to laugh.

. . .

Later that night Harry couldn't sleep, he found himself tossing and turning as he was growing restless with Ron's constant snoring and Dean mumbling in his sleep. He finally got out of bed and made his way into the kitchen for a glass of water. He was still missing Severus; he hadn't spoken to him properly since the station and Harry was beginning to worry Snape wouldn't want to see him as much now they were at school and he had to be professional.

Harry yawned as he looked at his watch to see it was only 4 in the morning, he threw on his house coat and made his way down to the dungeons.

The dungeons were darker and colder at night but after a few minutes of sneaking around Harry eventually found the door to Severus' private quarters. He let himself in with a tap of his wand, Severus had luckily told them earlier he set a spell so Draco and Harry could enter using their wands and without a password.

The quarters were dark and silent and he wandered around just able to make out the rooms and no more. It was also a lot colder than the rest of the castle; he shivered and pulled his house coat tighter around his small frame hoping to find his dad soon.

Harry made his way down the corridor and into Severus' room which was surprisingly easy to find. The man was sleeping peacefully clearly exhausted from a long day with the students. Without thinking Harry crawled into the bed next to him stealing some of the covers and settling down. He instantly felt safer in his father's company. Severus stirred and instantly woke.

"Harry?" Severus asked, his voice hoarse as he blinked in confusion.

"I couldn't sleep" Harry said as a way of explanation before snuggling further into the extra soft pillow. He didn't like the idea of the potions master going from being just down the hallway to at the other end of the gigantic castle, it almost felt unsafe and he felt abandoned. He looked into Snape's eyes; they were full of concern and confusion.

"Has something happened?" Severus asked concerned and Harry shook his head. "Did you have a nightmare? Are you sick?" he asked feeling Harry's forehead but Harry shook his head.

"I really just couldn't sleep" Harry repeated as he yawned and snuggled into the covers. Snape smiled, it was clear moving the boy wasn't up for negotiation as he watched Harry slowly fall into a peaceful sleep. He watched Harry for a few minutes smiling lightly at the teen, this year was definitely going to be different.

 **Hi everyone! First of all, Happy New Year! I hope you've all had an amazing festive period too : )**

 **I'm sorry I've been away for so long, real life hasn't been easy and the festive period was tough so I took some time away and focused on friends and family. I hope you're all well and the next few chapters are coming together nicely so there should be another update in the near future!**


	22. Chapter 22 - Changes

At 6 Severus woke to find Harry still fast asleep next to him, the boy looked innocent and peaceful and he smiled contently at him.

Quietly he got out the bed and made his way into the bathroom to shower and get ready for the day, today was the first proper day of classes and he was already filled with dread.

As Severus was brewing his first coffee of the morning a small orb that sat on the mantelpiece began to glow orange, putting down his coffee Severus sighed instantly.

The orb provided his own personal wards for Slytherin house; it let him know if the students were fighting, upset, breaking rules and out past curfew, amongst other things. Knowing orange meant someone was upset he took one last glance back in Harry's direction before making his way to the Slytherin common room.

Severus was surprised at the silence that filled the common room, he could hear a few older students, probably the prefects, moving around in the dorms but other than that it was silent.

Eventually Severus' eyes fixed on the small girl in the corner who was sniffling lightly, awkwardly Severus made his way over to the student.

"Is there a problem?" Severus said simply, causing the young girl to jump.

The first year shook her head as she looked up at her head of house "no" she said simply.

"Then why are you crying" Severus asked "are you homesick?"

The girl shook her head "my brother got sorted into Gryffindor and I didn't" she said wiping a small tear.

Severus sighed, he knew too well how the houses could separate friends and family.

"Who is your brother?" Severus asked, he'd probably given the Gryffindor detention at some stage.

"Michael Holland" the girl said "he's my twin" she continued when it was obvious Severus didn't recognize the name.

Severus nodded simply "I can understand why that might be upsetting" he said "but I think you should try see the advantages of the situation"

"I don't understand, Professor" she said sighing lightly.

"Well you're going to have different experiences at Hogwarts, you'll experience different parts of the castle and you'll meet different people, and your houses will help your personalities grow and you can use that to help each other" Severus said.

"Really?" she asked hopefully.

Severus nodded "and there's nothing stopping you from being friends with people from other houses or spending time with your brother"

"Thanks, Professor" she said simply and she awkwardly got to her feet.

"You're welcome" Severus said as he turned his attention to a group of boys that had entered the common room.

"Get back here, traitor!" a boy spat, Severus could instantly tell it was a fifth year named Jed Sneddon.

"Don't touch me!" another boy hissed.

Severus tensed at the sound of Draco's voice but continued to listen silently.

Jed pushed Draco against one of the walls and held him there, his wand raised to Draco's face.

"Get off!"

"You deserve everything you're about to get-"

"-I'm not scared of you!"

"Well you should be since daddy isn't here to save you-"

"That's enough!" Severus shouted, finally appearing from the shadows of the room.

Jed dropped Draco instantly, although both boys didn't break eye contact with each other as they continued to clench their wands.

"My office now!" Severus snapped and they both stomped off with Severus right behind them.

After a moment Severus sat down behind his desk, Draco quickly copied and sat on one of the chairs opposite his professor.

"Sit, Sneddon" Severus snapped.

Reluctantly Jed sat.

"What is going on with both of you?" Severus asked sternly "you both normally get on fine, better than fine"

Jed scoffed "he's associating with them"

Draco laughed lightly "at least they have an IQ higher than a baked bean"

"You'll regret that" Jed glared.

Severus held his hand up drawing a halt to the bickering "I assume by ' _them_ ' you mean a few of the Gryffindor students?"

Jed nodded and looked down.

"It's the first day of term and I'm not having a year of petty bickering" Severus said sternly "I'm giving you both a formal warning and if I see even a nasty look exchanged between the two of you then you'll both be serving a week in detention"

"What?" Jed gaped.

"If you keep speaking it'll be two, Sneddon" Severus threatened and both boys went silent "get back to your dorms and I expect to see you at breakfast on time"

"Yes, Professor" both boys muttered as they left the room.

Severus sighed as he shook his head, today was going to be a long one.

. . .

Quietly Severus made his way back to his bedroom to find Harry was still fast asleep. Before he had the chance to return to the kitchen there was a huge bang.

"Severus! Severus!" A voice shouted.

Severus rolled his eyes instantly knowing it was Dumbledore. He turned as Dumbledore came barging in.

"Harry is missing!" Dumbledore shouted waving his arms around dramatically "he's gone missing from the dorms!"

"Shh!" Severus hissed and pointed at the bed where the sleeping Harry Potter still lay, he was that deep in sleep he didn't even stir.

Relief poured onto Dumbledore's face. "Why's he in your bed?" he finally asked.

"He couldn't sleep" Severus said leading the old man out of his bedroom and back into the living room before he woke Harry up.

"Aw he missed have missed you!" Dumbledore blushed and Severus rolled his eyes although he had been missing the boy as well.

"Evidently" Severus finally said quickly to shake off the gushy atmosphere, he was back at Hogwarts after all "breakfast?" he asked and Dumbledore nodded pretending he didn't notice the distraction strategy, they both made their way into the kitchen.

"Are you not going to wake him up?" Dumbledore asked looking back towards the bedroom; he knew Harry didn't have to be up for a while but he was missing the boy.

"His first class isn't till 10 with me, he can sleep till 8" Severus said dismissing the idea and Dumbledore smiled. Severus poured them both a cup of tea and they settled down to eat their toast.

"How are you feeling about today?" Dumbledore asked cautiously and Severus shrugged.

"It will be an interesting day" Severus said unsure of how he truly felt "I've already given out my first warnings"

"Already?" Dumbledore asked raising a brow.

Severus nodded "Draco and Jed Sneddon"

Dumbledore frowned "I thought they two got on?" he asked.

"Not anymore" Severus sighed "Draco getting on with Harry was never going to be an easy transition"

"Well my doors always open" Dumbledore said and Severus instantly rolled his eyes "okay, I'll stop" he chuckled lightly.

About 10 minutes later Harry appeared in the doorway rubbing his eyes. "Morning" he finally said when he noticed Dumbledore was bright eyed and smiling at him.

"You can go back to bed for another hour or so if you want" Severus offered but Harry shook his head. "Toast then?" he offered.

Harry sat next to Severus and nodded, he just wanted to be closer to the man and he couldn't explain why he felt so clingy. They quietly ate and Dumbledore excused himself realising he should probably call off the search party that were already convinced Harry had been kidnapped by you-know-who , he opened the door to find Draco standing about to open the door.

"Hello Mr Malfoy! Excited for your first day?" Dumbledore asked and Draco glared at him, Dumbledore instantly chucked and made his way down the corridor. "See you at lunch, Severus" Dumbledore called back but Severus just rolled his eyes.

Draco entered quickly and sat on the sofa in the living room. "Is everything okay?" Severus asked approaching the rather defeated looking boy, Draco shook his head gently.

"None of my friends will speak to me because they know about my Dad and their parents have told them not to" Draco whispered fighting back the tears.

Severus didn't say anything he just wrapped the boy in a hug as a stray tear fell down his face.

Harry sat in the kitchen not too sure what to do. He had known since the second Draco refused the dark mark this was going to happen but he couldn't help but feel angry; the boy who had bravely turned down evil was now suffering for it and he didn't deserve it.

"And Jed started that this morning, not me" Draco muttered.

"I know he did" Severus sighed.

"Well then why give me a warning?" Draco snapped.

"Because I can't be seen to pick sides" Severus said simply.

"I hate this" Draco muttered.

"Draco, if they're behaving like this there not true friends" Severus soothed.

"But now I don't have anyone…" Draca gasped.

"You have Harry and I" Severus reminded him and he shook his head.

"I don't see you a lot during term times and Harry has his own friends" Draco said sniffling lightly.

"Draco…" Harry said entering the room. "You are welcome to hang out with my friends is you want to?" Harry offered but Draco shook his head. "They honestly won't mind, they've gotten to know you a lot this summer and they like you" he prodded but Draco shook his head firmly.

"Well Draco, you're more than welcome to come down here and stay if it gets too much, you both have rooms down here you can use at any time" Severus said looking at Harry as well, realising the reason he crawled into his bed was because Severus hadn't even shown him his own, he just didn't want to seem too pushy as he thought the boy would have been happier with Ron in the dorms.

They all finished up breakfast and after Severus had shown them their rooms the boys left together. They quickly ran back to their dorms and got the books they would need for that day.

. . .

Finally they found themselves in the potion class. Harry sat next to Draco which instantly caught the looks of various people in the class but he shook it off, the news of Harry's new living arrangements had quickly spread across the school like wildfire and he was noticing the questioning looks growing by the second but he didn't care, he was used to being looked at.

Snape stood awkwardly outside the classroom door, this was going to be his first attempt at finding the balance between parent and professor and he was anxious about getting it wrong. Severus had already heard students whispering in the corridor and he had come to the conclusion treating Harry too differently would just give them more to talk about.

Hermione and Ron were sitting in front and Seamus and Neville who were on the left of Harry and Draco. Neville was already looking a little bit pale at the thought of potions class; he jumped as the door slammed and Snape came flying into the room.

"Let's get one thing straight" Snape spat and all the students eyes grew wide "Potions making is an art, the potions for this next year are a lot more challenging and therefor a lot more dangerous, I will not take pity on anybody stupid enough to mess up" he said sternly and all the students nodded.

Harry had to fight a smile, he knew too well now all of this was just an act and he didn't feel threatened, Draco was grinning ear to ear; he loved potions a bit too much. Hermione also looked excited, after grilling Severus for most of the summer she was feeling more than prepared.

After a detailed explanation from Snape they began working on the calming draught potion, it was one Harry hadn't really looked at and instantly he grew nervous, he sighed in relief when Draco took charge seeming to have a better idea of what they were doing. Harry looked hopelessly at Neville who was feeling slightly abandoned by Harry, they always worked together in potions class.

Harry and Draco were about half way through their potion and Hermione and Ron weren't too far behind when Neville cautiously leaned over to talk "Harry" he whispered "we've put too may frogs legs in and we don't know what to do" he whispered and Harry's eyes grew wide, he knew this could get messy.

"Tell Snape" Harry finally whispered and Neville shook his head violently, unbeknown to them they had gained Snape's attention and he was watching them subtly from the other end of a book. "He's not going to murder you, just tell him" Harry insisted.

"He'll do more than murder me; he'll cook me and feed me to Hagrid's dog" Neville gasped and Draco threw his hand over his mouth to try and stop a laugh escaping but it didn't work.

"Is there a problem, boys?" Snape asked lowering the book, his voice was stern and Draco instantly controlled his laughter "Longbottom?" Snape asked coldly and Neville flinched at the question.

"N-no sir, j-just checking on H-harry" Neville finally stuttered and Harry rolled his eyes in defeat.

"They've put too many frogs legs in the potion, sir" Harry said and Neville's eyes grew wide with betrayal, Harry knew Snape would be angrier if they blew the potions class up and he'd explain that to Neville later.

"Is that right, Potter?" Snape asked and Harry frowned, he didn't like being called 'Potter' and Snape knew this. Snape stormed over to Neville's table and sighed at the potion "Longbottom, this is catastrophic, even for you" he said and with a flick of his wand the potion was gone.

"S-sorry sir" Neville said looking down, he was clearly disappointed in himself and Harry grew angry, he knew if Snape was nicer to him he'd get further in potions; it was the fear of messing up that kept causing him to mess up.

"He didn't mean it, people make mistakes" Harry said defensively shooting a glare at Snape who raised a brow.

"Is that right, Potter? Maybe you should be more focused on not making the mistake of talking back to a professor before the liability that is Longbottom's potion abilities" Snape said coldly before returning to his desk.

Harry's mouth dropped open, he didn't know why he was so angry, this was fairly mild for Snape in a potions lesson. Really he just hated being called 'Potter' it was making him paranoid the entire summer had been a dream and Snape still hated him; 'Potter' meant Snape still saw James Potter when he looked at Harry and that broke something inside Harry he couldn't quite explain. After class everyone fled the room in record time, Harry was the first to grab his bag and storm out, he made his way to the library to get some studying in and Ron and Hermione quickly joined him.

"What was up with Snape?" Ron asked, he was clearly as shocked as Harry was. Harry just shrugged; he knew Severus wasn't going to treat him any differently in class, he didn't mind it too much and he didn't even mind the odd Snape insult if it happened, but being called 'Potter' was boiling his blood. Neville entered and sat beside them.

"I'm sorry about him, Neville" Harry said apologetically.

Although Neville insisted he had nothing to be sorry for Harry still felt guilty, he quickly took out his potions book and explained the entire potion in detail to Neville who quickly understood where he had gone wrong with his calculations, the smile on his face showed it was all beginning to make sense and it made Harry angry, it would have taken Snape five minutes to show him this and it would be more beneficial for everyone.

Classes the rest of that day dragged and finally it was time for dinner in the great hall. Draco reluctantly had joined Harry's friends and already seemed a lot happier, Harry was more than happy he agreed to sit with them; as least Draco was acting like the real Draco, even at Hogwarts and it gave Harry some reassurance he hadn't imagined the entire summer.

Harry sighed to himself, he was still mad Severus wouldn't do the same. He noticed how tired he was, there first few days back had knocked it out of him and he realised he was probably irritated from tiredness too. He noticed Severus looking at him, he was offering him a small smile but Harry shot a glare at him and went back to talking to Ron ignoring the fact his bracelet had gone cold.

. . .

That night Severus sat up unable to sleep, he sighed lightly as he sipped his whisky and tried to ignore the deadly silence that filled the room. He couldn't help but think back to how angry Harry looked in the great hall, he hadn't been too harsh in potions, had he?

There was a faint knock at the door and with a small sigh Severus got up to answer it. He was surprised to find Draco looking defeated, with his eyes fixed on the floor.

"I don't want to sleep there tonight" Draco muttered still not looking up.

"Why not?" Severus asked softly.

Draco sighed "I don't feel safe"

Severus said nothing but opened his arms and allowed Draco to walk into his hug.

"Can I sleep here tonight, Uncle Sev?" Draco asked.

Severus released Draco and led him into the living room "of course you can, you know that"

"I just wish people could treat me how they used to" Draco muttered as he flopped down on the couch.

Severus cleared his throat "now the right people are treating you better and that's what is important, although it might be hard to see it now"

Draco nodded "I know" he sighed heavily.

Finally when Draco started to fall asleep Severus managed to move him to his own room, which would definitely be a lot more comfortable than the sofa.

"Sleep well, Draco" Severus said softly as he made his way towards the bedroom door.

"Night, Uncle Sev" Draco mumbled into the pillow.

Severus smiled lightly, leaving the door slightly open so he would be able to hear the teen if anything else went wrong.

. . .

A few hours later Harry found himself in a violent nightmare, he was dreaming of life before Severus rescued him. "NO!" he screamed instantly waking up the other boys in the room.

Ron quickly clicked what was happening and cast a silencing charm on the room so they didn't wake up the students in the other rooms.

"Please stop!" Harry choked again.

"Harry wake up, mate" Ron shouted but it only made Harry thrash out more violently.

" _This is all your fault!" Uncle Vernon hissed slamming Harry's small body off the wall again. He began punching Harry so hard everything was going black._

"No!" Harry screamed again.

Dean stirred finally waking up "what's going on?" he groaned.

"Watch Harry" Ron ordered as he ran from the room.

Ron banged on the dungeon door as loud as he could "Professor Snape!" he shouted and within seconds Snape was at the door looking extremely irritated; it was 2 in the morning. "It's Harry, he's screaming and he won't wake up" he said and before Ron could say another word Severus had slammed the dungeon door and was running towards Gryffindor tower, Ron quickly ran after him but struggled to keep up.

He entered the room to find Harry clawing at his own neck "Stop I can't breathe!" he choked and Severus quickly grabbed his hands making Harry cry out again.

"It's just me" Severus whispered softly into Harry's ear "You are having a bad dream, Harry, you have to wake up now okay?" he soothed pulling the smaller boy against his chest and Harry began to stir gently. "That's it, keep listening to me, nothing is going to hurt you, now open your eyes" he said and almost instantly Harry's eyes shot open, filled with fear and pain. Instantly he noticed Severus looking at him filled with concern, he was wearing his dressing gown and his hair was messy and Harry began to wonder what time it was.

"Dad?" Harry whispered.

"I'm here" Severus reassured him.

"Can we go back to the dungeon?" Harry asked wiping a tear from his face; it was obvious he didn't want his friends to see him like this. Severus nodded instantly helping the still trembling boy to his feet.

"Sir?" Ron called out as Severus began to lead Harry out of their room.

"He'll be okay" Severus said offering Ron a small smile.

Severus walked quietly with Harry back to the dungeon, he was more than aware Harry was still partly in his own world reliving the nightmare. Snape instantly lit all the rooms to make them brighter, it actually looked a lot like home and Harry settled instantly.

"What happened?" Severus asked softly sitting on the sofa beside him.

"My uncle…" Harry said but he couldn't bring himself to say anymore.

"Has it been worrying you again?" Severus asked and Harry nodded. "Why?" he prodded gently.

"Because I don't want to live with my aunt again" Harry sniffled looking down at his hands and Severus heart sunk, he hadn't done this in months.

"Why would you go back to live with her?" Severus asked confused.

"Because…because you called me Potter again and that means you don't love me anymore" Harry said bursting into tears, he realised he was making no sense out loud but it made sense in his head, he had become so paranoid Severus didn't want him now he was just a pesky Gryffindor again. For the first time in Harry's life he had truly left a home behind to come to Hogwarts and although Hogwarts was home he was homesick from Snape manor and Severus.

"I've always called you Potter in class. I can stop if you want me to?" Severus offered putting an arm around the boy, Harry instantly settled into his hug and sighed.

"Really?" Harry finally said feeling slightly stupid.

"Yes really, and if I do something that upsets you again then you have to tell me otherwise I can't fix it" Severus explained giving the boy a gentle squeeze and Harry nodded feeling really stupid now.

"Can you be nicer to Neville? The reason he messes up is because you scare him" Harry blurted out and Severus smiled.

"Yes, I'll be nicer to Longbottom" Severus said rolling his eyes slightly.

"I don't want to go back to the dorms tonight, I want to stay with you" Harry said snuggling into Severus yawning lightly. He wasn't planning on letting the boy go back anyway but he was glad Harry was happy to stay.

"Let's get you to bed" Severus said directing the boy to the room next door to his, it looked almost identical to his room back at Snape Manor and Harry smiled climbing in to the large, comfortable bed, it was so much more comfortable than the beds in the dorms. He curled onto his side to face Severus who was sitting in the large chair by the bed.

"I'm sorry I upset you today, Harry" Severus said running his fingers through his hair and Harry nodded in response, he was suddenly too tired to have this conversation. As Harry fell asleep Severus started making mental notes on things he was going to have to change during their time at Hogwarts and realised it was going to be harder than he thought.

After checking on Draco one more time, Severus retreated to his own room more than convinced the next few days would be eventful.

 **HI EVERYONE! I've missed you all so much!**

 **Sorry I've been inactive for so long, I've been busy/ too unwell to look at a screen for long.**

 **Thank you for all the reviews/follows/favourites that have happened since my last update, it really means a lot.**

 **New chapter soon!**


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